The Locked Door
by snuggled
Summary: Nearcentric, but it goes into details about the children of Wammy's House, and of L's ties to Watari. Includes Near, Mello, Matt, L, Watari, Roger, and even Linda. Full of Mello and Matt mischief. There's some fluff in here, too.
1. Beginnings of Friendship?

_I'm typing this because I've been at a standstill since the last **I Wanna Take You to a Gaybar** chapter. Ugh. Writer's Block…_

_This one pretty much deals with Near. And more so all the main Wammy's House children. Well… all the ones that count…_

_Cake-chan_

_---------------------------------------_

The two young boys stared at the small white boy shuffling into their room. He glanced up at them with a passive look on his face, taking a quick look into their eyes and then looking back down at the ground. The redheaded boy paused and stared at him a bit longer, pointing at him with his thumb, turning to the blonde. "He's short." The blonde snickered. "I know…" As the little one shuffled over to his bed, the blonde spoke again, hands crossing over his chest, a wicked smirk on his face. "You're Near… Right?"

When the boy didn't reply, the blonde spoke again. "I'm Mello and he's Matt." He pointed at Matt, who waved. Near began curling a lock of hair around his finger and looked at his bed, contemplating where to stash his things. This agitated Mello, and he grabbed Near by the shoulder and turned him around, forcing the shorter one to look him in the eye. "Hey! I'm talking to you, shorty!" Near averted his eyes, mumbling quietly, "I'm only seven… of course I'm short…"

The way the bedrooms were arranged, the boys were facing the left side of the building towards the back, while the girls were facing the right. There were three assigned to a room, according to various ages- with the eldest children given a room of their own. Added on to that, there were two children who were in advanced classes, and one who was not in as advanced classes as his or her roommates. Mello was taking classes that were- at most- three years ahead of average kids his age. Matt was taking classes about a year to two years ahead of average kids his age. Mello was nine, which meant-

"Wait… you're taking the same classes as me!"

Near's expression didn't change, and he put his hand over Mello's and removed it from his shoulder. "I'm aware…" Matt whistled. "Wow! So you're five years ahead of kids your age!" Near gave a placid nod and Mello's eyebrow twitched. Every muscle in his body tensed. This little kid- this _shrimp_- was smarter than him! He turned to Matt and glared. "No need to boost his ego, Matt!" Matt backed off, fearful of receiving Mello's fury. Mello looked back at Near with utter contempt.

At that moment, a girl walked in. Her hair was up in a girly ponytail and she had a cheery disposition, willing to help anyone who asked. "Near! Mr. Roger says that if Mello or Matt give you trouble, you can move to the last bedroom on the left side of the hall." Mello spun around and if emotions embodied themselves in real life, you would have seen flames bursting out from behind him. "Geez Linda, can't you see we're _bonding_ here!?" Linda shrunk back and looked at Near with a worried glance.

Near stepped past Mello, faster than one would expect from such a small boy, and shuffled to Linda. "I'm sure I can handle it here, but I was wondering why girls are allowed to share rooms with boys…"

Linda stifled a laugh, then made a straight face and glanced at Mello cautiously. "I'm sorry Near, but I think you're confused. Mello is a boy." Near glanced back at Mello and gave an all too innocent look. "Oh? I'm sorry Mello. I didn't realize…" This only enraged Mello more. This was the first time he felt he could actually hurt someone and not regret it later.

Linda grabbed Near's hand and led him out of the room. "Come on Near, let me show you around!" Near snatched his hand away and instead chose to follow her, looking at her feet and curling his hair with his finger. Linda turned back, looking into the room at Mello and Matt and gave them a look that said, 'Don't you dare touch him.'

Mello just made a face at her and Matt just gave her the V-for-victory sign, palm facing towards him.

She sighed. _Boys…_


	2. Bad Hair Day

_Ha. Just in case no one noticed, Matt was pretty much giving Linda the equivalent of the finger in the last chapter. _

_In pretty much all of my stories that deal with Matt as a kid, I pretty much made it so his mom was a hooker from London, and he grew up with her on the streets for a bit until his mom's employer- ahem, pimp- pretty much kicked him and said if she didn't get rid of him, he would. So I could pretty much see Matt knowing his fair share of… colourful insults._

_If you think Mello takes it a bit too far in this one- Near pushes the line in the next chapter. Dealing with things orphans wouldn't really enjoy hearing about._

_Oh! By the way, in this one Near is slightly autistic. Just slightly. He just has autistic tendencies._

_Cake-chan_

_-------------------------------_

That night, when Near had snuggled up in his new- and immensely softer- bed, Mello sat up and walked over to the bedside of his sleeping rival. Behind his back he had a pair of scissors. He first tested the boy to see his tolerance to touch while asleep. He poked Near's cheek very lightly, which in turn caused his breathing to hitch, then steadily return to normal.  
Mello gave the cheek a slightly harder poke with the end of the scissors, causing Near to frown in his sleep, but, like before, he steadily relaxed. Mello smiled and snipped a small lock of hair. Near did nothing, and he began to snip more and more, until the curly white locks were beyond messy and he felt satisfied. He then put the scissors under Near's pillow and went back to bed.

That morning Near sat up, groggily, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he realized locks of hair were strewn all over him. He picked up a strand and looked at it more closely. Not just any hair. White hair, in curly wisps that were feather soft. _His_ hair. He gave a slight frown and put a hand up to his hair and attempted to curl it around his finger. It was too short. His breathing grew heavy and he hummed to himself- a habit that had always calmed himself down, as opposed to groaning and curling up, which always irritated his mother.  
He heard the shuffling of feet and Near knew who it was. "Near, what did you _do_!?" He looked away, a blank look on his face, although inside he felt like his insides were being torn apart. Matt glanced at Mello, a weird look in his eye. He had a feeling it was Mello, but Mello hadn't told him about this plan the day before. He had to admit, though, that Near _did_ look cute with this new hair_style_- if it could be called that. He supposed it wasn't that bad.  
Near stuttered, not realizing he wasn't ready to speak just yet, and paused a few moments before speaking again.

"I would like some privacy to change…"

Mello got up and left rather quickly with a confused look on his face, and Matt followed soon after.

Mello glared as he walked out of the room, and when they got to the window at the end of the hall, he started ranting. "What the heck was up with that!? He didn't do anything! He didn't even sob! Not even a frown! Is that thing even human!?" Matt considered this for a moment, before giving him a grin. "Maybe he's an alien." Mello stared at him and frowned. "That's stupid." Matt paused to think for a while. "Actually, didn't you notice he was humming to himself? Kind of like… a whine or something? And he did stutter and look away… Maybe you really did-"  
Mello began talking again, completely ignoring his friend. "Ugh! I want to make that blank expression completely blow away! I want him to be sobbing on the ground, begging me to stop taunting him! That little brat! He thinks he's so perfect!"

"Near! What happened!?"

Mello and Matt turned to the sound of the voice. Linda. Talking to Near. Meaning Near was out walking around. Mello stalked down the hall after him, faking a look of amazement. "I know, Linda! When me and Matt woke up this morning, he was cutting his hair all off!" Matt looked a bit sheepish, not sure why Mello was bringing him up, since this was not a prank he had been involved in.  
Linda put her hands on her emerging hips and frowned. "I _know_ it was you two!! Only you would do something this mean!!"

"Actually… Mello's right. I did it to myself."

The three older children both gawked at him. Linda's face turned to worry. "Near, you don't have to protect them after they did all these things to you!! I know they did it!" Near shook his head, his eyes locking with Mello's. "I'm not protecting anyone. I really did do this to myself." A childish grin adorned his face and a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes.  
Linda sighed. "Oh… I still doubt it, but I'll take your word for it…" Mello stepped back, a dazed look on his face. He could not _believe _this kid! The shrimp was blatantly challenging him! His eyes narrowed and he grabbed Matt's arm none too gently, storming down the hall. Linda and Near watched them go, and Linda affectionately touched his shoulder with one finger, afraid of startling him like last time.

"It's alright, Near. Mello's always orchestrating stunts like this…" Near flinched at the contact, then relaxed, frowning a bit. He felt a bit uncomfortable. His mother, on days when she could stand being around him, would curl his hair around her fingers, and in the morning he would curl her hair around his fingers for a bit, asking for her to wake up.

He felt like hugging Linda, but instead he shuffled down the hall back to his room.


	3. And the Winner Is?

_The reviews I received for this one were so much more incredibly touching than the ones for my other stories. Someone said that they were all very in character. That is probably one of the things I love to hear the most. Someone also told me that my paragraphs with different lines were confusing to realize who it was that was speaking. Thank you! I never would have realized and I'd still be writing the same way. While we're on the topic of reviews- there's a lot of people who like Linda. :D I'm glad. In a lot of the fanfics I see, she's portrayed as whiny and annoying. I totally don't know why anyone would have anything against her except that she "poses a threat" to all the NearMello fans out there. I don't get it. I think she's cool, even when she only has one line in the entire manga._

_I decided to describe Near's expression as vapid before typing this, but I wanted to look it up because I was unsure of what it meant- and when I looked it up I realized it actually meant what I was intending it to mean. _

_When have I ever heard that word? I can't remember ever learning that word. _

_It's times like these that make me wonder where half of the knowledge I've accumulated actually came from. _

_**Random Tip:**_

_Don't trust MS Word for grammar check. "It's" is considered wrong in **all** situations to the crappy program. (I learned this in 6th grade from my English teacher Mrs. R)_

_Cake-chan_

_--------------------------------_

"Mello?"

Stomp stomp stomp. Drag drag drag.

"_Mello?_"

A few curse words in a language Matt couldn't understand.

"**Mello?**"

The blonde in front of him twirled around, his face red with indignation. "What_ is_ it, Matt!?" They were out the door and down the steps of the front door. "Mello, you're hurting me…" Mello released the grip of Matt, who in turn rubbed his wrist, which was purple by now.

Although Mello was fuming, he stopped momentarily to survey the damage of his best friend. "You okay??" Matt grimaced and covered up his wrist. Gave a fib so Mello wouldn't be worried over nothing. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine. It didn't hurt that much. You should just worry about Near right now…" Mello nodded, and they both headed back inside. However, upon reaching their room, the mere sight of Near playing on the floor threw firewood on the fire growing in Mello's heart. He gave a menacing grunt and stomped out back to the front lawn, shoving his way through the mass of children coming back inside from recess.

Since there were many different children at Wammy's House with various abilities, it meant that the children's circadian rhythms were most likely different for each child as well. Some children were more focused later in the evening. Some children were at the height of their energy level early in the morning, meaning they could hardly sit still for class. Since the orphanage also counted as a school, the class times were catered to the individual students. Of course, not all the kids fit into perfect groups, but they would be close enough together that it wouldn't matter, due to age and whatnot. So, the children were each split up into different sets for recess. Mello and Matt often skipped and stayed for the second group's period of recess.

This is what they would have to do now. It was still too early in the day for their classes, so they wouldn't be missing out.

Mello stared at Matt for a moment, considering where they could plot. Usually they plotted all of their plans in the privacy of their bedroom, but since Near was in there they would have to find somewhere else.

"Come on!" He grabbed Matt's _other_ wrist, making sure not to grip too tightly this time. Matt followed him, stuffing his injured hand in his pocket. "But Mello, if Near's in the bedroom, where are we going to-"

"The climbing tree!" Ah. The climbing tree. Matt and Mello often climbed up in there and stayed for hours when they didn't feel like having to do anything. The leaves created a sort of bubble of space around a branch just big enough for a few small children to sit on. It also felt very secluded, surrounded by a wall of leaves on all sides. However, girls really enjoyed playing underneath, but they were easily rid of by Mello's threat of taking a leak on them.

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When they had seated themselves up in the tree, Matt decided that Mello would most likely listen to him this time. "I really think it bugged him…"

Mello turned. "What are you talking about?"

Matt sighed. "Listen- when he woke up this morning, he started humming or something. Maybe like a whine…"

Mello's face perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah… I'm surprised you didn't notice…"

Mello frowned, then looked away, his face turning red. "I did _too _notice! _What_- You think I'm not quick to pick up things like that!?" Matt smiled sheepishly. He forgot he was talking to _Mello_.

"Well… I was just reminding you and all…"

"_Oh_! So you think I'd _forget_ about something like that!?"

"N… Never mind."

They were quiet for a long time, and Matt could only wonder what Mello was thinking.

"I got it!" Mello turned to Matt and grinned. "That's perfect!"

Matt looked at him. "What's perfect?"

Mello gave a wicked smirk. "I'll bet curling his hair is comforting to the little shrimp." Matt sighed at the thought that Mello was probably going to tray and make Near cry, but he couldn't deny that fact. So instead he agreed, though wary of what Mello might be planning. "That sounds about right… Why else would he have been bothered so much?" Mello nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Especially if his _mother_ used to do it!" Matt's face changed to one of concern. This only meant one thing- Mello had found his ammo. Which usually meant it was damaging. Which meant if someone got hurt Mello would only regret it.

"Are you sure you should use-" "Yeah! I'll bet his mother's dead! Bringing that up will make him cry like a baby!" As he cackled to himself, Matt itched the side of his face.

Mello was always coming up with a good plan that ended up turning into something horribly more severe than what he anticipated when it came to teasing people. "Mello, I think you should first think about-"

He had hardly any time to finish that thought before Mello jumped out of the tree and ran inside. Matt sighed. Chances were someone would end up with a black eye. He climbed out of the tree and followed after the renegade blonde

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"Hey Near! How'd your _mommy_ die!? Did she kill herself??"

Near looked up and stared at him for a moment, that same vapid expression on his face. "I assume you're asking if she's dead because _your_ mother is dead- right?" Mello's eyes narrowed and the lower lid beneath one of them twitched.

"If you want to empathize with someone, I suggest Linda. She seems to be pretty good at that. I certainly hope your entire_ family_ didn't die. I could only imagine how _awful _you must feel…"

Mello's face twisted into one of anguish and rage and his voice rose considerably. "Hey! Shut up! Just _shut up_!!" However, Near continued. "As for the answer to your question, my mother is _not _dead, but I _appreciate_ your concern."

Matt was still in the hall when he heard Mello screaming. He sped up and ran in just in time to grab Mello in mid-pounce. Mello was yelling in that same language he couldn't understand and Near was staring at the enraged blonde, his eyes a bit wider. Mello twisted around, trying to get out of Matt's grip, so the redhead just gripped tighter. "Mello! What are you doing!?"

There was a random string of foreign words, but he heard the word Matt in there, so he assumed Mello was too enraged to switch back to English. "I can't understand a word you're saying!"

"Matt! Let go! I want to kill that shrimp!!" What followed was a lull in the heated fight.

Near played with his earlobe- a habit to replace curling his hair until it grew out long enough- and mumbled. "I didn't think it would be true. I'm sorry." However, Mello didn't hear what he said, and figured he was insulting him again.

"What did you say!?" Matt had relaxed a bit during the quiet and focused on what Near was saying, since he could hardly hear it. This made him drop his guard and Mello seized that opportunity to twist out of Matt's grip and strike.

Mello hit the little one in the face and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Get out of here you little white freak!!"

Matt stepped in and grabbed Near, pushing him out of the room and slamming the door shut.

As he turned around, Mello's breathing was ragged and his hair was covering his face as he stared at the floor. Matt padded over to him. "Mello, are you okay?" He noticed dark spots appearing on the carpet and he slowly brushed the hair out of Mello's face. Tears that had been threatening to roll down his cheeks now poured freely as the blonde sobbed and hiccupped, grabbing onto Matt's shirt. Matt frowned and wrapped an arm around his friend, letting him cry for as long as he wanted.

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_Appendix of Sorts:_

_ Actually, that bit about circadian rhythms is true, however it was hard for me to word it properly, so it's probably worded to the point where you guys (the readers) will be getting the wrong information out of it. _

_I actually put this in because, like in the first chapter, I wanted to explain everything in detail. I noticed in the manga that the children were in separate groups for recess and as the group Linda was in was going outside (skip the parts in Japan to the next time we see Wammy's House) the children outside that Mello was with, were going _inside.

_I hope this makes sense. If you still don't understand what I was trying to say, I'll explain it in a bit more detail here- so that I don't have to confine in to a story. (Which in turn makes me able to explain it better. ;)_

_Basically, everyone has a circadian rhythm. It changes as we get older- explaining why old people have a tendency to get very sleepy seemingly early during the night. It also explains why we have morning people and why some of us have difficulty waking up in the morning. Also, it controls when certain hormones are released and the like. So in short- this is why younger kids feel sleepy earlier in the night than teenagers. Adding onto the hormone regulation, the chemicals in our brain that get released for (as in the story's example) concentration and being able to focus get released at different times than other people. As for an example that really should have been put in the story, but I could not because I was having trouble wording it, people also have different times during the day where they peak in mental performance. _

_So to use the children at Wammy's House as an example- Linda's mental performance might peak at 10 o'clock in the morning, while Mello's mental performance may peak at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Thus, Mello's little body clock makes it so he is better at learning and reasoning later in the day than Linda. (This is just an example- I don't have a clue about when their peak mental performance really is, and I won't be bothering to go into _that_ much detail.)_

_:3 If you're still reading this, the next chapter includes Mello's past, and if I did a better job at making it easy to understand who is speaking, **please** review so I won't keep worrying. xD  
_


	4. Just Like Bitter Chocolate

**Note for all of you who don't read my notes at the beginning- this has spoilers for Mello's name. From this point on in the story- expect spoilers. **

Wow. So here I am. I haven't died.

(That's always a good.)

I'd give an excuse- but I can't. The truth is, I was going to take my time on this, and on the very day that I decided I would finish this (I'm typing this in pretty much the middle of the story.) my friend RJ gave me Pokemon: Diamond, which he said he'd buy for me. Not to mention, a week later, when I decided to finally finish the story and post it- a storm hit and we had the power out for an entire day (7:30 PM to 2:00 PM) and hindered me from finishing it. (At 2:00 I was playing Pokemon, and never got off until 11 at night. n.n;

Anyhoo. You might notice that I'm not in italics this time around. That's because the majority of this story is a flashback- BUT not all of it is. (Hence why it's still going to be in italics)

I got four more lovely reviews. Thank you. Apparently my reviews aren't being sent to my e-mail. So. It's hard to keep up with them.

It took me a while of planning for this. A _lot_ of planning. Tons upon tons.

Because it's hard to decide on Mello's nationality.

Mihael is a Slovenian name- so he's going to be from Slovenia. _Joy_. It was a pain in the ass to research. I hope to God at least someone takes an interest in my reasoning for this- which to keep this short will go in the Appendix, of Sorts section. (I might just end up making it a regular, just like these little notes here.)

As a side note, Keehl is more German than Slavic, but whatever. Slovenia is closer to Rome and the Vatican than Germany is. And Catholicism is something I like- even if I'm not Catholic. n.n;

Ah. For you to read it better:

Janez- sounds like Yah-nez

Melanija – sounds like Mel-ah-nia

Anja- sounds like Anya

Sorry the note is already so long, but I need to mention that Anja's development seems off. She shouldn't actually be able to think that rationally quite yet (from where you see her in the story). I know it's a stretch, but please deal with it.

Cake-chan (Protestant)

_--------------------------------_

_Mihael was born to the Keehl family on a snowy day in December, the year the Berlin Wall came down. Both of his parents were Roman Catholic- like the other 98 of the population of his home country. Even though it was still part of Yugoslavia until he turned three._

_His father, Janez Keehl, was a prominent doctor- with a brilliant mind to match. He was very kind and polite in both words and actions. As opposed to charging what was right according to resources, he charged according to the customer. If they were financially stable, he would charge the regular price, and for those who could not normally afford treatment, he fixed the price to meet what they could pay. He was well-loved by the community and, while not the richest family, they were always provided for when they needed it._

_Mihael's mother, Melanija Keehl, was a lovely woman who was devoted to her husband. Her strawberry-blonde hair was long and wavy, and she had a delicate constitution as well as fragile-looking features. Her eyes were perfectly grey and lively, except when she looked at Mihael. She was sorely disappointed and had wanted a daughter. Her sister Anja died when she was young, and she wanted a daughter to carry on her sister's name._

_A boy. He resembled her- and she manipulated herself to believe that. His mother had a complex for her husband, and felt inferior to him, therefore her unwanted son became more like herself in her eyes. _

_As Mihael grew, he resembled his father more and more. His hair was a golden blonde like his father's, while his eyes were bluish green- closer to turquoise than anything else- as were his father's. He learned at a quicker pace than the other children his age, and by the age of six he had a fairly accurate- yet still somewhat childish- view of the world around him. The only things he had gotten from his mother were her thin wrists and pale skin._

_The first memory of his mother hating him occurred when he was four. One of Mama's friends had exclaimed how he looked just like his father. However, Mama looked down at him and frowned. _

"_No, he takes after me…"_

_She turned to her friend and gave a nervous laugh, curled her hair behind her ear- something she _only_ did when she was agitated, and Mihael knew it- replied that she was worried because he might turn out like her- relying on someone more intelligent. Mama's friend chided her, of course, saying he would become a fine young man, and left. Mama looked back down at him and sighed, giving a forced smile and pulled him along. _

"_You're nothing like Papa…"_

_About a month later, Mama changed. When she felt depressed about her little sister, she would dress him up like a girl. She stopped cutting his hair, so that she would be able to put it up in curls. His hair grew fast, and it was already past his shoulders. Mama would put make-up all over his face, take pictures and fawn over him. _

_On Mihael's fifth birthday, after a particularly tense, but brief, argument between Papa and Mama about being able to support another child, she curled Mihael's hair twice as tight. She put the frilliest dress on him; put twice as much make-up on him so it ended up caked in. He usually didn't like this, although he never minded how much she fawned over him, but this time he became irritable and grumpy._

_As she walked out of the room to wash off the excess make-up on her hands, he thought back to the argument, and on the numerous hints that she didn't like him. Mama wanted a girl. Had she wanted him to be a girl? Was that why she did this? What about Papa? Didn't _he_ want a son? He was just like Papa, so why wasn't Papa proud? He never disagreed with Mama when she said he looked more like her than Papa, but it was obvious he looked nothing like Mama. Was he not important enough to be as smart and handsome as Papa? _

_What gave _her_ the right to decide how he turned out!? He closed the door of his room and stood there, his chest heavy. _

_How dare she do this!? How dare she not love her own child!? _

_He grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped wildly at his hair. The curls fell, the remaining hair a mere two inches in length. He ripped at the lace, the sleeves, the skirt and all the other garbage that decorated the abomination. He dipped his hands into his fishbowl and scrubbed at his face to get the cream and gritty mush off his face- making his face turn red and sting. _

_But he didn't care._

_When Mama came back in with the camera, she froze and the camera fell from her hands. Mihael was a mess! So much destruction in only a few minutes! The words were stuck in her throat, but eventually she managed to choke them out, her voice gradually becoming more angry._

"_Wh-What did you do?? Mihael, you ungrateful child!!" _

_She rushed over and grabbed him by the wrist, lashed out at him. She struck him across the face. Once. Twice. Five times. He lost count. He didn't care, only thinking about one thing- this was the first time Mama was honest. It made him smile and break all at once. Papa came in and pulled her away, giving him a lecture on how to behave and respect authority. That night, Mihael fell asleep to his own bitter laughter and hot tears._

_From that point on, Mama was never fake. She never smiled at him or pretended to laugh on his account. When Mama's friends said he looked just like his father, Mama would look at him with bitter eyes and reply, "No. He's much too rebellious to be his father."_

_--------------------------------_

_Nine months later, his younger sister Anja was born. She looked just like Mama, Mihael noted, as he peeked over the lace and frills of the bassinet. Her hair was extremely curly, and Mihael reached down with his small hands and curled one of the locks. It was soft, like down. Anja reached out, all bubbly and chubby, for his finger and grabbed it in her tiny hands. Mihael smiled, until he heard a noise from the door of the room._

"_Mihael! Stop it! You'll hurt her!!" _

_Mama rushed over and shoved Mihael away, causing the baby to cry. She picked Anja up and bounced her a bit, glaring at Mihael and scolding him. _

"_Look at what you did! Such a naughty boy!" _

_He paused and felt tears welling up in his eyes, his ears growing warm. "B-But Mama…"_

_The baby had finally stopped crying, her face resting on Mama's shoulder, peering at Mihael as he stared at Mama's back. Anja cooed and Papa came in, smiling and taking her. He looked at her, eyes full of love. _Love._ Oh, how Mihael _wished_ they would look at him like that. _

_Mama smiled and kissed Papa on the cheek. "Janez, she looks just like you!" He smiled and nodded. That was a lie! She looked just like Mama! Not Papa. It was Mihael who looked like Papa. It wasn't fair. Not fair, not fair. At all. _

_As Anja grew, she grew to look more and more like Mama. However, she also began to learn at a quick pace, just as Mihael had done. And, like always, she was the one fawned over. Praised. Anja loved to dance. She loved to dance with Mama. And with Papa. She wasn't allowed to play with Mihael, but she would feign sleepiness to sneak out to the yard to play with her brother and his friends._

_She was only three and already followed him around everywhere. He would watch her too. Like a hawk. Every face she made, every laugh, every fall and stumble. He loved it all. When he looked at her, he saw Mama. A mama who loved him. Like with Mama, he picked up on every little habit Anja had. _

_When she laughed, she would cover her face with her hands. When she cried, she curled up to feel invisible. When she taunted his friends, she would curl her hair around her pinky, looking at them with a hint of amusement in her eyes._

_At night, she would sneak into his room, push the door open- he always left it part of the way open, since she could not reach the door knob- and wake him up, asking him to dance. Eventually, he had figured out her pattern enough to stay up until she would come in, so she wouldn't have to make much noise in order to wake him up. Before she would go back to bed, she would always wait until he got in bed before kissing his pinky and wishing him good night. And pleasant dreams. _

_She called it her magic sleeping spell._

_Eventually, she began to wonder why Mihael was never allowed to play with her, and why Mama and Papa never held him. "Mama," she said one day. "Brother is very smart. May he come over and help me learn how to read this?"_

_Mama looked at her and shook her head. "Of course not. Your brother is too busy to teach you. Mama will show you how to read this!" She smiled, but the answer didn't satisfy Anja's curiosity. _

"_But Mama… Brother is in here, sitting on the floor and playing with magnets. Why can't he come over and teach me?" She lifted her hand and smiled at Mama, feigning innocence, and curled her hair. Mihael looked up and saw it, realizing what Anja was up to._

_Mama smiled and tried her best to be patient. "Anja, your brother is playing. We shouldn't bother him…" As she herself curled her hair behind her ear, Mihael caught Anja's attention and shook his head, but Anja wasn't ready to stop._

"_Mama! Why do you hate Brother so much? You won't let me dance with him or play with him. Why do you always tuck me in when Brother has to do it himself? I go in every night and when I ask, he always says you will remember to do it tomorrow!"_

_Mama's face turned red and she stiffened, sitting up straight and glancing over at Mihael. "Anja, you should stop sleeping during the day so often. Then you won't be so restless at night."_

_Anja, in impish delight, giggled. "Mama, I don't take naps during the day! I sneak out the window and play with Brother and his friends!" _

_Mama stood up, her eyes cold, and raised her arm._

"_You dreadful little-!!"_

_Mihael stumbled to his feet and caught Mama's arm. "Mama! It's not Anja's fault! I always go into her room and wake her up when she takes naps! I'm always telling her to come in and play before bedtime!" He grimaced and choked out the last words, fighting the urge to cry. "I… I told her to ask you all that so you would get mad and hate her instead…"_

_Mama pulled her arm out of his grasp and hit him across the face. "You disrespectful child! Now you want to get _Anja _in trouble!? You're just a cruel-hearted little boy! Haven't Papa and I taught you better!? And yet you _still _act like this! You should be ashamed of yourself! Apologize to her, right now!"_

_Mihael rubbed his eye, already feeling a bruise starting to form. His nose was runny and he sniffled, wiping it with his hand, yet not even a tear followed. He smiled a bit- just one corner of his mouth tugged upward- and turned to his sister. "I… I'm sorry Anja…"_

_He wanted to kiss her cheek and hug her, tell her he didn't blame her, but Mama pushed him away before he could. "Go to your room and don't come out until I bring you dinner tonight!"_

_That night, he looked at the clock by his bed, which read nine o'clock. He sighed. Of course. Mama had no intention of bringing him dinner. However, he heard the pitter patter of little footsteps and came to the door, opening it slightly. Anja burst in, looking somewhat sad. Mihael looked at her. _

"_A-Anja?"_

_She looked up and smiled, handed him a small loaf of bread. "I snuck it from the table, Mihael." _

"_How'd you-? Mama watches you like a hawk!"_

_She gave an impish laugh, quietly. "Your friends say I have a talent for filching things."_

_He smirked a bit and ate the bread eagerly. _

_After a moment, she sat down, and he frowned, a few pieces falling from his mouth as he spoke.. "Anja, you shouldn't be here. You'll get in trouble."_

_She was quiet for a long time, and he grew more concerned, pressing her until she told him what was wrong. _

"_Mama and Papa got into an argument. Mama says that either she and I go, or you do." _

_Mihael smiled a bit, laughing. Nervous, denying it. "B-But Papa would never-"_

_She burst into tears. "He said that if that's what it would take for Mama to stay, that he'd allow it!" _

_Mihael's eyes widened and it felt like he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. "Wh-Where will I go? It's not like… they'd…"_

_Anja was still crying and she was curled up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Mama said she'd be willing to give you to the church, and they'd be able to find a home for you…"_

_Mihael felt completely numb. He felt nothing. _Couldn't_ feel anything. As Anja cried, he slowly wrapped his arms around her in a loving hug, kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's okay Anja. It's not your fault." His words were empty, and he shooed Anja out of the room. In truth, part of him felt like it was her fault. Part of him felt it was all his fault. He would never be good enough to be loved by Mama or Papa. He could still hear Anja outside his door until he fell asleep._

_Over the next two weeks, it was difficult. Mama brought Mihael to the church. One of the sisters refused to take him. Mama said they were going through some financial trouble and couldn't take care of him anymore. The community began to provide for them, just as they always had before. _

_Mama grew restless and argued with Papa constantly. Mihael spent the days in his room in a somewhat catatonic state. He couldn't do anything. He felt weak, he felt nothing. He just sat in the corner staring off into space, and even Anja couldn't bring him out of it. _

_Finally, at the end of the first week, Papa said he knew a place that would take him. Mama played with Anja, who entertained her so she wouldn't get mad at Mihael, as Papa called the Wammy's House in Winchester, England._

_They would provide a good environment for his son to have an opportunity to get farther in life than he normally would, being an orphan. He spoke with a man who spoke some Slovenian, and they made the arrangements. He himself had to speak some English, at least as much he knew. _

_The next week, a man arrived. He looked very kind, and looked at Mihael with a sort-of fatherly compassion. Papa picked Mihael up- the first time since he had been an infant- and walked over to the man. He gripped him tightly, so Mello wouldn't try to run away. _

"_Mihael, you see this man? His name is Quilsh Wammy. He's going to take you to England... You remember where that is? It's a pretty place that's just as green as Slovenia. I think you'll like it there." He looked at Mihael, frowned when the boy's expression remained the same- distant. "Mihael, don't be like this. You know I love you very much. I just have to keep this family together, you know?" _

_Mihael's insides twisted, and he felt sick. Papa was lying. He couldn't love him. Keeping the family together? How was Papa doing that, if he had allowed Mama to get rid of him? He was just as much a part of their family as Anja was. But no. That wasn't good enough. He wasn't Anja. Mama didn't love him. Papa only loved Mama. Anja was the only one who loved him, but it was her fault. It was Mama's fault. It was Papa's fault. It was even his own fault._

_So he didn't care anymore. He'd rather have them dead. They _were_ dead- and as the man named Mr. Wammy took him out of Papa's arms, walked him out the door, as he heard Mama ask Papa why he was crying, as he heard Anja crying- he told himself that._

_--------------------------------_

(AN: This next section refers to the time four months _before_ the story takes place. Therefore, Near is brought to Wammy's House four months after Mello arrived.)

_Mihael was brought to Wammy's House four months ago. He didn't know the language, and he didn't know anyone who knew his language. Thus, he was forced to learn theirs. He was placed in a room with a boy named Matt. Matt was very kind, even though the two could not communicate. _

_Whether the boy had been instructed to talk to him or not, it didn't matter, for Matt did it regardless. This helped Mihael learn the language immensely. During the first two months, he sat to himself, quiet and somewhat numb. He never spoke, and never interacted with the other children. He was like a time bomb ready to go off at any moment._

_By nature, he was not passive-aggressive, so Matt could tell he was always on the edge and intense, when he looked him in the eye. Eventually, Mihael heard others saying the word 'mellow', over and over again, when they looked to him. By this point, he knew fragmented English and one day Mihael interrupted his forced-friend in the middle of a lengthy "conversation"._

"_Why is everyone saying 'mellow' to me?"_

_Matt paused and looked at him. "Oh. That's what everyone's calling you."_

_Mihael was puzzled. He didn't know this word yet. _

"_What does it mean? Explain it.."_

_Matt scratched the side of his head and pondered, searching for words. "Well… Mellow means… easy-going and calm. I think they call you that because you're so quiet and never really argue or yell."_

_Mihael stood up abruptly. "Why are they calling me that!?" He was infuriated. That wasn't like him at all! Back in Slovenia, he was loud and rambunctious! Just because his parents had disowned him, it didn't mean he had changed as a person! If anything, it meant he had become less mellow! _

_Matt stared at him, a slight smile on his face. "_Now_ you show your true nature. I was wondering when all that tension would bubble over…" _

_Mihael grabbed a pencil off his desk and a sheet of paper, shoving it in Matt's face. "Write it." His voice was demanding, and Matt felt obligated to do what Mihael told him._

_Matt jotted the word down on the paper. His writing was chicken scratch, but he didn't mind- as long as Mihael could read it._

_Mihael spoke the letters out loud. "M-E-L-L-O-W…" He gave Matt a _look_, grimacing. "It looks…" He paused, searching for the word." "weird… on paper…"_

_Matt blushed a bit. "That's probably just because of my handwriting. Mine's not that great…" _

_Mihael shook his head furiously. "No. The spelling looks weird." He stumbled over that word- weird-; it was a hard sound to make. _

_This didn't make Matt feel any better, Mihael noticed, so he continued speaking. "The W looks odd." However, all it stirred in Matt was the desire to perfect his W's so they looked less funny._

_Mihael erased the W and showed it to Matt. "_This_ is how it should be spelled. Now it looks perfect."_

_Matt frowned a moment. "Well-"_

"_If I spell it like this, no one will be able to call me mellow!"_

_After a pause, Matt burst out laughing. Mihael frowned and stared at him; waited until he was done. _

_Matt wiped a tear from his eye. "I don't think it works that way, Micky. It's still going to mean the same thing…"_

"_No. I will _make_ it mean something else! And stop calling me Micky! From now on you have to call me Mello! M-E-L-L-O!"_

_--------------------------------_

Matt and Mello had now moved to Mello's bed. Mello's sobs had finally quieted, and his hair was sticking to his face, just as his hands were sticky with tears, snot, and whatever else was caused by his crying.

His throat was sore, and sounded more like he was croaking. "Matt…"

Matt looked at him. "What is it, Micky?"

Mello could hardly speak without his throat feeling like fire, but he did anyway, voice soft and all the energy seemed drained from him. "Near… he said…"

Matt frowned and patted Mello's head. Mello sat up, out of Matt's arms and rubbed the tear-stained cheeks, pulled the hair away from his face, and took a deep breath. "He said they were…"

Matt frowned. He hated seeing Mello like this. It made him sad, too. "Mello, you don't have to say it…"

Mello looked at him, looking cranky and tired. "Say what? That they're dead!? They're **not** dead, Matt! They're alive!" He was angry now. Bitter. This gave him some energy and he decided that anger was the best way to motivate himself.

Matt blinked and looked at him. "What? But you said they were- You told everyone that they were dead!"

Mello stood up and kicked the wall. "They aren't! But they abandoned me, because they never loved me! I'd rather think of them as dead!" He made a move to kick the wall again, but stumbled and fell backwards off the bed.

Matt's eyes widened and he went to the end of the bed. "Mello!? You okay!?"

Mello said nothing for a while, but looked back up at the redhead, with a bitter smile on his face. "I hate him Matt. I hate everything. I want to get back at him! You **will** help me get back at him!"

Matt thought about it for a moment, before mumbling a quiet, "Yes."

_--------------------------------_

Appendix, of Sorts:

Mello's mother was named Melanija because of Melania Knauss. Yes. Donald Trump and all that jazz. (The difference in the name is because over here in the States the J was dropped for it to be easier to pronounce. – Concerning her real name Fun Fact #1)

As for why- Melania Knauss is married to Donald Trump- a very rich man. Now, I'm not saying that she herself is the type of person to marry someone for the money- but Mello's mother seems like the type of woman to do something like that. (In my version of his past, of course.) Hence, how the name stuck.

Mello's father was named Janez because it's a fairly common name, and he strikes me as a common type of person. (This would also add to Mello's complex of being extremely elaborate, but not much- since he's also that way by nature.)

Mello's sister was named Anja because of Anja Rupel, who sang for the Beatles' (80's) Across the Universe. And I'm a Beatles freak. (Fun Fact #2- Listen to Paperback Writer. By the Beatles. Just listen to it. It mentions a little someone special. xD)

Below is an excerpt of how Mello earned the nickname Micky from Matt. I decided not to put it in the story, due to how it didn't quite give anything to the story, and it can really only be told in Matt's perspective. (In fact, the only reason why that section of the four months before the story takes place stayed is because I think it's the most appropriate place to stick it.)

_Matt looked up and stared at the woman standing in front of his door. "Matt, I'm here to tell you that you finally have a roommate. Please be kind to him- I know that won't be hard for you. Also, whenever you get bored, I'd rather you talk to Mihael instead of zone off and play with your Gameboy…" _

_He had stopped listening. Instead, he dropped the Gameboy, letting his character die, and padded over to inspect his new roommate. Short blonde hair. Blue eyes. Thin frame. Pretty face. He blushed. _

"_Wh-Why do I get a girl as my roommate?" _

_The woman frowned. "Matty! Are you even listening??" _

_He ignored her and asked again._

_She sighed. "Mihael is a boy. He has a boy's name after all…"_

_Matt's eyes widened. "Wh-What!?" He mentally kicked himself for thinking a boy was pretty. He took the glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't have gotten glasses. They were making him see funny. Even though they weren't prescription._

"_Mihael is the Slovenian equivalent of Michael. Do you understand now?"_

"_Oh. So his name's Michael?"_

_The woman smiled a bit, looking like he had just made a joke. "N-No. That's not exactly what his name-"_

_Matt felt funny. His stomach felt queasy, so he nodded. Then he perked up and smiled. He wanted her to leave. She was gross and annoying. Making him sick._

"_I'll make him feel welcome! You can count on me!" _

"_O-Oh? G-Good. You two will get along."_

_As she walked off, Matt grumbled to himself. "Christ, lady. Maybe I'd pay attention more if your boobs were bigger." He looked up and realized Mihael was no longer in front of him. He peeked out in the hallway. Nothing. When he turned around, he came face to face with his new almost-friend. _

_That nearly sent him through the roof. "How'd you appear behind me, Micky!?" Mihael cocked his head to the side, a dull expression on his face, unsure of what the other had said, much less knowing that the boy was referring to him. _

_However, Matt could see the liveliness in his eyes. He was like a time bomb ready to go off. Like the ocean, he looked calm on the outside, but below the surface there was anger rushing like a current, and Matt felt like he was about to be swept away. _

_After a moment, Matt took a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He spoke quietly, in awe of this new kid._

"_You're something else, aren't you?" _

_So he grinned. _

"_Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting with you around, Micky."_

Well, that's it. n.n; This chapter ended up being so long. I hope I didn't end up putting so much information in that it ended up being confusing. Again, sorry for the late update._  
_


	5. Place Your Bets

_I got more reviews. Thanks guys, it's keeping me writing. Well, I'm determined to finish this no matter what, but the reviews really give me a boost. _

_People really liked Mello's back-story. I'm really, _really_ glad. I was worried it would be too long and people would lose interest. There's always going to be people who eventually lose interest, but I was worried people would think it was too weird. Um… just to let you guys know, I ended up typing up the end with Matt and Mello and then went back and finished the end of his past, then went back and forth a few times until it was done- I'm not even sure if I completely finished all of it. I haven't really gotten a comment on it having a weird gap in it, so I'm just hoping that means I remembered to write the rest of it. xD I tend to get a bit scatterbrained at the end of a chapter._

_One person wrote about how they liked the long paragraphs. n.n Thanks for that, I actually prefer writing in long paragraphs instead of writing dialogue on separate little lines._

_Did anyone end up reading the last part of the Appendix, where I put the flashback in Matt's perspective? Heh heh. At the time, I thought I wouldn't have a place for it, but I realized that by combining chapters 5 and 6 (in my notebook- on the site they'll equal just chapter 5), that I would be able to squeeze that in there. Oops. Just think of it as a sneak peek. ;D _

_This particular chapter includes more Matt and Mello mischief, and fluff. Sorry, I understand the boundaries between two young boys being friends, as opposed to being more than friends- I just think Matt happens to cross those boundaries from time to time. OH! And before I forget, there's also some Linda/Near fluff in this one. It's cute, and I just recently found a story I was writing about Near having a break in reality coupled with a certain personality he creates to cope with Mello. It has blatant NearMello and NearLinda in it. I like it. It's a bit wonky and completely departs from the manga's general feel, but I like the NearLinda in it so much. ;'O Holding hands, staring into each other's eyes, blushing and sappy crap like that. I might end up writing it. MIGHT. After this, though. There's still a bajillion kinks that need to be worked out in it and I can't possibly devote enough time to it with this story in the way. xD  
_

_Heh heh heh. I seem to be in a creepy hyper mood- one where I'm less hyper and more extremely euphoric, so I'm making random squeaks and end up laughing to/at myself. Hence the creepy. Probably because I've been working on a comic strip featuring a slightly half-naked Hal. It's anatomy practice, mostly. _

_Mostly. _

_Um… I sorta want to write something deep. Like in chapter three, when I mentioned that thing about the knowledge I've accumulated. However, since I'm in this mood, I can't think of anything to write. (Ha ha!) So, I guess you can just settle with this-_

"_Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!" _

_Awesome movie- it's a classic. You should watch it. John Belushi and all that jazz. Or I should say Blues? n.n_

_-Cake-chan _

_( P.S. Has anyone been wondering why I don't mention who makes certain reviews? I've been wondering that myself, lately. o.O; )_

_----------------------------_

Even if Mello had started it, Near knew that ending it like that wasn't the right thing to do. He wouldn't have said it if he _had_ known Mello's family was dead, so he realized he was too careless in saying that. He remembered the anguish and rage swimming in Mello's eyes and sighed. He really didn't _hate_ Mello. He hated idiots; he hated fools, and though Mello was foolish at times, he didn't hate him. He _couldn't_ hate him. Hating implied not liking anything about a person. He really did like Mello, so just because Mello had a few unfavorable qualities, it didn't give him the grounds to hate him.

In truth, the only things Near hated about Mello, were those emotions. More-so the fact that he himself couldn't really relate to them. He understood how he should feel about certain things, because he learned to look at it in terms of cause and effect. And because Mello reacted the way he did, Near realized that he should have apologized. Which he did, but it still ate at him. He had to find something to even things out- Mello liked chocolate, didn't he?

And so, the little one sat there and pondered about where he was going to find some chocolate.

_----------------------------_

When Mello walked out, Near was sitting in the hallway, picking at a loose thread in his sock. He glanced at Matt, who glanced back, a hesitant look on his face. Matt knew what to do, he just wasn't sure it was right. He wasn't sure if anything Mello did was right, but he did it anyway. That was what friends did, right?

Or maybe… He kept his mind focused- at least after Mello had glared and hissed in his ear.

"Matt, come on."

He nodded and ran against the wall, tripping over the little one in the process. As he hit the ground, he hit his chin on the tile and winced. Mello, however, as far as his plans went, widened his eyes a bit more, flinching at the impact. It looked like it _hurt_.

He instantly regretted it.

As Matt stood up, he heard Near's small whine and spun around, knowing something like this would happen, but unsure of how badly it would be. "Shit! Everything in this hall is white! I swear I didn't see you, Near!! Are you okay??" Everything except the last part was a lie- he knew how to go along with a plan, but he wasn't heartless.

He helped the younger boy up, concern crossing his face, as Mello ran over. "Matt! Be more careful! Watch where you're going!!" He, however, didn't lie at all. At this moment in time, he regretted all of it, wished- _wished- _he hadn't told Matt to do it. He acted tough, but inside he couldn't bear to harm someone, even in anger.

Matt looked at Mello then looked away again, back at Near. Why was he agreeing to go along with this? It was pointless- _stupid_. Matt repeated the words in his mind, forced to go along with Mello's plan until the end, lest he feel as if he betrayed him in some way.

"It's not my fault he was curled up on the ground! I thought he had gone outside or something!"

He was telling the truth again, but there was something sickening about it. They had planned on this happening- even is Near was outside. He felt dirty. And cruel.

Near rubbed his eyes, a pink tear running down his cheek. He whined a bit, and the older boys could hear a sob in there, adding to their guilt.

Mello turned to Matt, shutting off all the pity in him to get this done. "Look, he's crying! Great going, Matt!"

Matt told himself Mello didn't mean it- over and over- but it still hurt. It had been the blonde's idea in the first place, so how was he saying it so sincerely? The plan. Matt had to go along with the plan. Focus. "Geez, I'm really sorry, Near! I really didn't see you!" Another lie at the end, and it only made him feel worse.

Near groaned and wiped his snow white eyebrows, a streak of red trailing after his sleeve.

Mello's mouth dropped. "Oh man, he's not crying! He's bleeding!"

Matt gasped and immediately ran off to go get one of the adults as Mello looked around, wondering what he could use to help wipe the blood away. Near sobbed as Mello grabbed his hands and put them down at his sides.

However, the younger boy recoiled and jumped to the back of the wall, curling up and making a yelping sound. This scared the wits out of Mello, who had no idea what was going on. "Near! Calm down! I'm only trying to help!"

As he once again tried to grab the hands of his smaller roommate, Near screamed, "No!", and covered his face with his arms, causing Mello to use brute force. He pried Near's arms away from the bloody face and accidentally pushed him over to the side, on his back. He landed with his legs over Near's arms, and the younger screamed and tried to get up.

"Calm down Near!! I'm trying to help!!"

"No!! Let me go! Let me go!"

His whine pierced the air, and Mello opted to, instead, covering the boy's mouth with one hand and using the other to wipe the blood away with the long sleeve of his shirt. This didn't work, and Near bit Mello's hand, who jumped up and screamed in pain, off the younger boy and sliding into the wall.

Near sat up, crawled to the wall opposite of Mello- and much farther to the side- and rocked back and forth, hands covering his face, crying and groaning. Mello stared at the boy, bewildered, and decided it would have been easier getting an adult.

He sucked on the blood dripping from his hand and went to the lavatories, grabbing a small, plastic cup from the cupboard beneath the sink. (They used these for brushing their teeth every morning before breakfast and every night before bed.)

He _had_ to make sure the blood wasn't getting into Near's eyes, and he would rather kick Matt than to just sit there and watch it happen. Which wouldn't really feel all that great right now. At all.

--------------------------

When he got back, Linda was already beside Near- trying to stay close, but not too close-, making soft cooing noises to try and help the boy calm down.

"Shhh. Near, it's okay. It's just Linda. Please calm down. Shhh. It's alright. I'm here."

Surprisingly, Near was calming down. As Mello walked nearer, Linda looked up and motioned for the cup. Mello handed it to her, until Near started up again, and he was forced to stand off to the far right, on the opposite wall. He looked around, and Matt was there next to Roger.

Just how much of the struggle had he seen? Mello hoped Roger hadn't seen him almost smothering the little one. That would make him get in even more trouble. He shuffled over, on his tiptoes, wary of the look Roger was giving him.

Linda turned around and smiled at Matt. "Could you go get me a damp towel with cold water?" She was enjoying this. She felt so grown up.

As Matt nodded and stumbled away to the lavatories, Linda resigned herself back to Near, shushing him and touching his shoulder, preparing herself for when she would have to put the cup to his face- which could start him up again.

She enjoyed doing this- tending to people and taking care of smaller children. None of the women working at the institute were able to get close to Near without him freaking out even more- and she smiled at this fact. This just meant that Near sensed something calming in her, which thoroughly pleased her.

Matt came back with the towel, acting as guilty as ever, Linda noticed. It was most likely one of Mello's pranks gone horribly wrong again. She was used to this, as Matt wouldn't have hurt a fly before Mello showed up.

Focus at the task at hand. Yell at the troublesome duo later.

Her voice softened considerably more than it had before- surprising everyone except Matt, who had been around her long enough to know she had the capacity for being even more gentle than this.

"Near, you okay? We have to get the blood out of your face and keep it from dripping into your eye… Could you uncover your face if you feel comfortable letting me wipe the blood away?"

There was a moment of tense silence lessened, of course, by her soft voice shushing him again, before Near finally uncovered his face, pink droplets streaming down his face from the blood mingling with his tears. He was a mess.

But not anything she couldn't handle.

As she dabbed away at the blood, his mouth slowly opened, until he was hoarsely speaking.

"Matt tripped over me… and I think… I hit my forehead… on the tile…"

Linda made a guttural coughing noise. "It's alright, Near. Roger will deal with this later. Right now we need to clean you up…"

However, Near was incessant. "It was an accident… An accident… I just got a bit scared… and over-reacted…"

Linda glanced at Mello and Matt, who immediately looked away. _Accident, my Aunt Susie…_ "Near, it's alright. I think that's most of the blood, but it's still bleeding quite a lot. I'm going to put a cup over your eye so no more blood drips in…"

Near breathed sharply in when the cup went around his eye, but then relaxed when no more pressure was added. Linda smiled. "There… all better. So far. Do you want to hold the cup on your own for us?"

Near nodded and took the cup from her, holding it there, as she slipped her hand out from underneath his. She stood up, and he mimicked her, shuffling over to Roger, calm now. "Um… m-may Linda come with me to the infirmary?" Roger rolled his eyes and nodded. Children these days were getting younger and younger in the passions of young love. Something of the sort. He didn't like children much, as with people in general. Didn't understand them much.

Linda smiled and grabbed the blood-stained sleeve of his shirt with two fingers- making sure she didn't frighten him- and began walking to the nurse. Roger stayed behind, but not before witnessing a rather amusing sight-

As Near walked past Mello, he leaned in, a placid smile on his face, whispering into the other's ear, "I can't say I deserved that. I _will_ get you back…"

Bah. To hell with it. What children did in their spare time was not his concern- as long as it involved being able to make a quick bet for some cash. Other than that, children weren't interesting at all. He grabbed Mello's arm none-to-gently and pulled him towards his office. "Mello, I know it was you this time. You're in big trouble."

He shut the door, leaving Matt standing in the hall, feeling guilty and confused.

-----------------------------

_(AN: Linda's going to be resigned a bit more in the next few chapters, so you'll hear about her past in this chapter. Read the reasoning behind my choice in the Appendix.)_

Linda stayed beside Near while they stitched him up. He had a split eyebrow and needed three stitches. When the nurse left to go tend to a child who tripped an fell on the playground, jamming a twig through their lower jaw, Near glanced over towards Linda.

"Linda… why are you so… um… motherly?"

Linda blinked then smiled, shrugging her shoulders casually. "I guess it's because I have two younger brothers and an older sister who usually baby-sits."

Near nodded to himself, glancing back at his socks. Wait. Have? Not had? He opened his mouth to say something, until Linda gasped.

"Oopsie! Mr. Roger says I'm not supposed to mention that… Uh… Just forget you ever heard it, 'kay?"

Near frowned a bit. "But…"

Linda's face turned red. "No, it's slightly embarrassing around all these orphans. I mean, I shouldn't even be here, you know? Here are kids who actually don't have parents and I'm the only one…" She trailed off, staring intently at the tile. Mr. Roger told her not to say anything, lest the other children get angry at her or jealous.

After a while, Near slowly replied, "I won't tell…"

Linda looked up, hesitant at first, then upon seeing Near's serious face, scooted her chair over to Near's, leaning in close.

"It's a secret, okay?"

Near nodded in childish wonder, suddenly curious. "Okay."

And Linda began speaking.

"Okay, I have two little brothers. Nathan, who's five, and Jeffery, who's three. Both of my parents have to work two jobs in order to support all of us, and they hardly ever come home. My older sister, Heather, is 16 and she's always taking care of the three of us. I guess I picked up being motherly from the way she'd handle things…"

Near spoke lowly, as if one of the workers would come in. "Then why are you here?"

Linda waved her hand a bit. "I'm getting to that. Anyway, Dad said I had a really good eye for perspective and composition, and Mum agreed. But, since our family isn't all that rich, they decided to call Wammy's House and see if they would adopt me. It was actually Dad's idea. He said that I'd get a better chance with my art here than I would at home."

Near sat straighter in his seat. "How'd they know about Wammy's House? Are they nearby?"

Linda shook her head. "No, they live in Brighton, but since Mr. Wammy says that we can leave when we turn fifteen, Dad said that I could go back and live with the family after my stay here." She smiled.

"What if they're gone?"

She opened her eyes to look at the white-haired boy, a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean?"

Near mussed his sleeves and mumbled. "I mean… what if they're not there when you go back to Brighton?"

Linda's smile faded, and she stood up. "Of course they'll be there. They said they would be. Dad and Mum promised!"

He knew he shouldn't have been pressing, but his cynicism prompted him to question further. "How do you know? When was the last time you received a letter?" This only made Linda's face droop lower, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Um… I… I need to go." And with that, she left the room in a flash.

Near watched her go, his face puzzled, until realizing what her conclusion must've been. Well. He'd have to apologize the next time he saw her.

--------------------------

_Matt looked up and stared at the woman standing in front of his door. "Matt, I'm here to tell you that you finally have a roommate. Please be kind to him- I know that won't be hard for you. Also, whenever you get bored, I'd rather you talk to Mihael instead of zone off and play with your Gameboy…" _

_He had stopped listening. Instead, he dropped the Gameboy, letting his character die, and padded over to inspect his new roommate. Short blonde hair. Blue eyes. Thin frame. Pretty face. He blushed. _

"_Wh-Why do I get a girl as my roommate?" _

_The woman frowned. "Matty! Are you even listening??" _

_He ignored her and asked again._

_She sighed. "Mihael is a boy. He has a boy's name after all…"_

_Matt's eyes widened. "Wh-What!?" He mentally kicked himself for thinking a boy was pretty. He took the glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't have gotten glasses. They were making him see funny. Even though they weren't prescription._

"_Mihael is the Slovenian equivalent of Michael. Do you understand now?"_

"_Oh. So his name's Michael?"_

_The woman smiled a bit, looking like he had just made a joke. "N-No. That's not exactly what his name-"_

_Matt felt funny. His stomach felt queasy, so he nodded. Then he perked up and smiled. He wanted her to leave. She was gross and annoying. Making him sick._

"_I'll make him feel welcome! You can count on me!" _

"_O-Oh? G-Good. You two will get along."_

_As she walked off, Matt grumbled to himself. "Christ, lady. Maybe I'd pay attention more if your boobs were bigger." He looked up and realized Mihael was no longer in front of him. He peeked out in the hallway. Nothing. When he turned around, he came face to face with his new almost-friend. _

_That nearly sent him through the roof. "How'd you appear behind me, Micky!?" Mihael cocked his head to the side, a dull expression on his face, unsure of what the other had said, much less if the boy was even referring to him. _

_However, Matt could see the liveliness in his eyes. He was like a time bomb ready to go off. Like the ocean, he looked calm on the outside, but below the surface there was anger rushing like a current, and Matt felt like he was about to be swept away. _

_After a moment, Matt took a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He spoke quietly, in awe of this new kid._

"_You're something else, aren't you?" _

_So he grinned. _

"_Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting with you around, Micky."_

--------------------------

Matt was sitting outside, waiting for Mello to come out of Roger's office, thinking. If he had known about this… He was confused. He did everything Mello told him to. _Everything. _Heck, he even ate twelve live grasshoppers for him once because Mello decided to have a contest with some of the other boys. He had been pinched by the beaks quite a few times before they finally began slipping down his esophagus. His tongue was bleeding and everything. Mello laughed and laughed, but- of course- he was more dominant, so there was _no_ way he had gotten involved in something like that.

_Would Mello have told me to run into Near, knowing fully well what would have happened?_

Matt didn't mind bruises. He didn't mind bleeding. Hell, he wouldn't mind dying for Mello unless it involved harming another person. But, Mello told him to run into Near. He and Mello were close now. Really close. Mello knew how he felt about harming other people.

Mello was, and always would be, his friend. Mello wouldn't- _couldn't_- ask Matt to do something that involved hurting someone else… would he? True, Matt had a feeling it was intended to hurt Near, but he just couldn't bring himself say "no" to Mello! It wasn't in his nature. Besides, he had really meant to just scare Near, not have it end like _that_.

So he denied it. Pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. Mello didn't know. No one could have known. Mello wouldn't try to hurt his friends. He knew Mello. Mello could be a lot of things, but he was _**never **_a traitor to his friends. That was what he loved about Mello.

What made him _love_ Mello. Mello was bold, smart, loyal, and all kinds of good things. Mello was… everything. Everything Matt wanted to be; everything he wanted to have in a friend. Everything he wanted and more. Matt knew he wasn't attracted to boys, but Mello was in an entirely different league- not saying Mello _wasn't_ a boy, of course. It was more like girls couldn't compete with Mello. He often wondered, listening to Mello's obnoxiously loud breaths in the middle of the night, comfortingly behind him, lulling him to sleep, if there was a girl out there like Mello. However, even if there was, she'd never _be_ Mello in his eyes. And that, for some reason, was a comforting thought. He never asked what Mello thought about that, and he was sure it would ruin their friendship anyway.

"Matt."

Matt looked up to see Mello closing the door of Roger's office.

"You didn't have to wait for me, you know. Class is about to start, anyway."

"But I wanted to…"

Matt's face flushed and Mello grumbled, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. "Whatever. Let's just get to class before Roger gets on my ass again…"

The two boys wandered down the halls, their hands still linked, as Matt rattled on and on about Roger being a total jerk-off, not even realizing that Mello was clinging to him for emotional support.

He was in a better mood now. He knew. Mello wouldn't ask him to do something he was uncomfortable doing. That is, _if_ he knew Matt was uncomfortable doing that. Matt would just have to learn to start telling him instead doing everything he said without thinking.

And that night- before they turned the lights off and went to sleep, before Near wandered in late because the nurse forgot him in the infirmary and tripped over a strategically placed textbook- Mello ruffled Matt's hair, looking at his pillow. "Um… I didn't think it would turn out that bad… I'm so sorry if feel really guilty. I'm sorry for that bruise too… If I'd known, I would have-"

Matt gave a silly grin and pointed at his chin. "Oh this? It's not that bad…"

_--------------------------------_

**Appendix, of Sorts**

_Awwwhright. So, first off, I wanna mention that pretty much all of the situations in this chapter, I've actually had experience with. Well, sorta. I noticed some eerie similarities in this to stuff in my life. I guess I should expect that, considering people tend to be influenced by stuff that actually happens to them._

_Um… I've sorta kept quiet, but in this chapter it's really freaky how similar Near is to my big younger brother. I say big younger brother because he's 16 months younger than me but twice my size. He's pushing 6 feet and he's only a sophomore in high school. (Not like Near at all, but.) Near is born in August, as is my brother. So they're both Virgos. They both are more intelligent than I am. (Ha! I don't mind, though. Really.) And when my brother was about four, he ended up splitting his eyebrow(the SAME eyebrow I was actually imagining for Near, though I never stated it- the right eyebrow) and got three stitches. _

_My brother also stopped reading Death Note after he found out that Mello, (His favorite character, xD) was actually a _**boy**_. HA HA. _

_Anyhoo. Oh yeah, the stick through the jaw thing happened when I was in elementary school to a kid in my class, only it was a pencil instead of a stick. I still have no idea what the chances of that actually happening are. They'd have to be fairly low. Unless rocks were involved. Like in playgrounds. Then it would make more sense for a (SHORT) pencil to be sticking straight up like that…_

_Now onto Linda. I really doubt that there's going to be a lot of gifted children who get disowned by their parents. I know there always will be, if the child is autistic (like in Near's case) or if they become more intelligent than the parent and make them become impatient and stressed out, but I've always pictured Wammy's House to be one of those places where kids could also be sent to for education. It's already enough like an institute anyway. So yeah, that's why Linda's got a different situation. And don't worry folks. I like Linda, and if she were my kid, I'd totally love her more than is necessary, so her parents probably aren't going to be abandoning her in this story._

_I mean seriously, did you see all those children? If Watari adopted some of them at birth, what's not to say they end up having a normal intelligence due to hereditary? That's why I doubt it's _just_ an orphanage and/or _just_ an institute for gifted children._

_By the way, forgive me if it'd muddled around the part where Mello and Matt end up hurting Near and how they feel about it. Looking back on it right now, I really don't like how I wrote it, but I can't figure out how to write it better, so I decided to post it, since I want to get started on the next chapter. It will be the hardest. I'm deciding whether I should have more closure with the Linda plotline before introducing L. Either way, there's going to be L's past in the same chapter he is introduced, so I need to fix up what I had to get it to fit the manga's storyline. (I wrote it before I knew how old L was, you see.) _


	6. Shivering

_I didn't get as many reviews from the last chapter. I can't blame you. After the Mello chapter, the last chapter is extremely lacking. I'm hoping I can make up for it._

_This chapter certainly turned into something different from what I had immediately planned. Linda might sound like a bitch in this chapter, but I guess this chapter for her is showing that she is a human, like everyone else. And she's not perfect, nor is she some kind of healer. She has to work at being nice._

_Oh, there's also a "steamy" moment between Near and Mello. (Ha ha! Actually it's not, but you could see it as such…) Note: Water balloon fights cause crazy circumstances to arise._

_Oh, by the way, when it says Matt has a few girlie magazines, I don't mean the "girly" ones- I mean the stuff like Playboy and Maxim._

_Hope you enjoy this chapter._

_- Cake-chan (The next chapter is centered mostly around Watari, Roger, and L.)_

_----------------------------------------------_

Mello woke up to the sounds of Matt tapping away at some video game system, yelling at the screen every once in a while. He sat up and scratched his head, catching a tangle and howling at the size of it. It was like a bird had decided to take up roost in his hair. It was like he had decided to make a beach ball out of tangled hair.

It was, like, going to be a total pain in the ass to get out.

Matt turned around and waved, dropping the controller and moving towards the bed. There was a big grin on his face, and he crouched to his knees at the side of the bed, looking somewhat like a small puppy. "Hey Mello, that's some tangle you got there. Want me to go ask Roger for a pair of scissors?"

Mello shrank back, Matt getting too close for comfort. He grabbed the tangle. "N-No! I'll get it out myself!" His hair was precious to him. There. He could admit that. Even if it was a really girly thing to say. It was bouncy and fluffy, feather soft and-

Matt was still staring at him. Grinning.

Mello frowned. "_What?_" Matt had been acting funny for the past two days. It was beginning to tick him off. How was he supposed to come up with any ingenious plans if Matt was going to keep looking at him like he was some girl?

Wait.

Scratch that. That was too creepy for words.

Matt stood up and stepped towards his own bed, which was really only a step away, as it was right next to Mello's, the pillows facing towards each other. He peered underneath it and started to pull things out from under it. A book, a few girlie magazines one of the fourteen-year-olds had given him, a deck of cards, one of the Beast Wars Transformers toys- it looked like a wasp, and it was missing parts-, candy wrappers, a Game Boy- he paused and set that on his pillow; he'd been looking for it for a while- and finally a hairbrush, with auburn hair stuck in it. Along with lint, and Mello swore he saw a few dead bugs caught in the hair.

Matt looked at Mello and grinned. "I found my hairbrush. You wanna borrow it?"

Mello made a face at him. Tongue out, one eye wider than the other. A typical disgusted face- only amplified, since he was still a child. "How long has that been missing? For that matter, _how have you been brushing your hair without it_?"

Matt paused, before putting his arms behind his back. He was obviously worried about getting in trouble. "…I've been using yours for the past two months..."

Mello glared at him. "Gross! I think I'll just use my own, _thank you_."

Matt stuffed everything back under his bed and picked up the Game Boy. "I've been looking for this sucker for four bloody months! I lost is right after I met you." Mello sighed and looked at the television screen. "Where'd you get that?"

"Oh! When I was four, my mum had gotten extra money after a rich client and-"

"No! I meant the television set!"

Matt looked up from his game and looked back at the T.V. "Oh, that. One of the older kids was sick and tired of his younger friend coming in and playing Frogger while he was studying. So he gave it to me."

Mello sighed. "Matt, aren't _you_ the one that is always going into his room and playing Frogger?"

Matt stared at him, not smiling since he was aching to go back to his precious Game Boy. "So? It got me this T.V., didn't it?"

Mello slapped his forehead. Matt was always doing stuff like that. It was pretty cool, though. All the older kids loved hanging out with him. The music was still going, and by now the time had run out, so there was a dead frog on the screen. "Matt, couldn't you at least turn off the television?"

Matt grumbled to himself and turned it off, along with the SNES. "Sheesh. What are you, my mum?"

Mello scowled and pulled a box out from under his bed, digging out the brush. Nice and clean. Now that he actually _looked_ at it, he could see auburn hair. Short, reddish-brown strands mingling with his own blonde hair. He got started on the beach ball made of hair. As he turned his head to the side, he noticed the small, white form staring at him.

**Near.**

He glared at the younger boy and Near smiled lightly. Of course he did, the little shrimp was being a real prick. He was _always _being a prick. "What are _you _looking at!?"

Matt glanced up, then looked to Near. "Oh yeah. I forgot he was here…"

Mello turned and stared at Matt, anger flaring up in his eyes. "Matt."

Matt turned back to Mello. "Yeah?"

"Get out!!"

Matt frowned and stood up, stumbling out into the hall. Mello stood up and closed the door, just managing to hear a string of colourful words come sailing out of Matt's mouth. The adults wouldn't be too happy about that. Matt really _had_ been acting as if he was enduring mental torture lately. He was on the edge a lot today.

Mello spun around and glared menacingly, pointing at his tangle. "Did you do this?"

Near paused and looked at it for a while, before nodding. "I told you I'd get you back, and that's how I decided to do it."

Mello curled his fists as tightly as he could. He wanted to wail on him. He wanted to scream as loud as he could and beat his small roommate until all that was left was blood and pulp. But he wouldn't. Because he deserved it. He really did. Deep down he knew he'd regret it as soon as it was done.

Because he _couldn't_ hate Near. And he didn't know why.

Near began to fiddle with his earlobe, and started speaking again. "Mello, you'll have a hard time getting that tangle out with just a brush."

Mello crossed his arms over his chest and tried his best to seem threatening. Of course, that wasn't going to do him any good- he was in Near's court now. And Near already knew quite a few things about Mello to get under his skin with.

"Because I put gum in your hair. But you don't seem like the type of person who chews gum a lot, so you might not know what makes it easier to come out."

And he was right. Mello couldn't chew gum for a long period of time. He'd never chewed it when he was little. He learned shortly after arriving at Wammy's House just what the deal was with its sticky structure. He felt sick after chewing it for too long, and he had a problem with grinding his teeth at night, so the act of chewing ended up hurting after a while.

However, he did know what was good at getting it out. Matt was a gum-chewing machine and soon after Matt offered him a piece of gum, he spit it out onto his best friend's hair.

Peanut butter broke gum down, making it less sticky. There was a jar of peanut butter in the kitchen, so Near's attack didn't work.

"Near, you're an idiot. There's a jar of peanut butter in the kitchen."

Near shrugged. "I know, but you look absurd with your hair like that. How are you going to get from here to the other side of the orphanage without anyone seeing you?"

And that did it. Mello couldn't stand looking stupid. Not around Matt, since Matt never laughed at him, but all the younger kids were scared of him. If they saw his hair like this, he'd never be able to live it down. Another point for Near.

Near started towards the door. "Anyways, I have to go find Linda. I'll see you later, Mello…"

He gave a slight smirk, but Mello grabbed his sleeve, pulling him away from the door. "N-No, you have to help me!"

Near turned and sighed. "And why should I help you?"

There was a short pause, before Mello fell to his knees. He hated this. He was actually begging- _begging_. Christ, he'd rather have been dead. "P-Please! I'm s-"

He couldn't believe he was about to apologize! Sure Near deserved it, but he just… had trouble saying those words. It was as if he was chewing leather. It seemed like forever as he forced the words out.

"I…I'm… s-s… sorry…"

Near tilted his head with an amused look on his face. "Hmmm? I couldn't catch that."

Mello snarled and glared at him. "You know what I said!"

Near reached for the doorknob, shrugging. "I'm not sure what you said, but I guess it doesn't matter. See you la-"

The blonde stood up, clenching his fists, his eyes were closed and his face was bright red. "I said I'm sorry!"

Near nodded his head and smiled, mumbling, "That's what I thought you said…", under his breath, before opening the door and leaving.

----------------------

Near walked out the door and closed the door behind him. Well. Off to find Linda. Wherever she was. Would she even talk to him? He wasn't sure, but he hoped she would. He still needed to apologize. Not to mention there was the chocolate for Mello. And the peanut butter. A darkly amusing thought crossed his mind on how he could kill two birds with one stone, but the last thing Mello wanted was chocolate in his hair.

As he wandered through the halls, he heard Matt screaming at the end of the hall- the craft room. He walked towards the source of the sound and padded into the craft room, only to have a few stacks of papers come tumbling into his direction off the teacher's desk.

"Geez, Linda!! You can be such a bitch, you know that!?"

Near ducked to avoid the papers and tripped over a piece of pottery lying carelessly in the way of the door. As he looked up, he saw Linda looking at a picture, with Matt staring at her, his eyes filled with hurt and anger.

"Well, you asked me what I thought of it, Matt. I'm just telling you what I think of it. The composition needs a bit of work, and-"

"Yeah, but I didn't want you to critique it! I wanted you to like it!"

Linda glanced at him, her eyes clearly showing that her patience was beginning to wear thin. "Well, I do like it- it's just that I think you have better talents in other fields…"

Matt threw his arms up in the air and huffed. "You don't know anything! That's why you'll always be just a stupid… a stupid _girl_!!"

He began storming towards where Near was lying, and the little one took it upon himself to stand up, blocking the exit. For some reason he didn't think either of them were being very fair. For one, Matt couldn't grasp that Linda was just looking at it in the only way she could- a professional perspective- when it came to art. And two, Linda wasn't trying to listen to what Matt was saying.

"Matt, I don't think you're being very fair…"

Matt stopped right in front of him and shot him the saddest look Near had ever seen. It was weird, because it made him feel sad too, but he couldn't figure out why.

"What do you know, Near!? You're just a little white freak who can't even _begin_ to understand the most basic of human emotions!"

Near paused. He could, couldn't he? It didn't seem like he couldn't see what was going on, did it? And it really hurt. "Matt, I'm just saying that Linda doesn't see what you're getting at. Maybe you should just tell her straight out what you were wanting…"

Matt's eyes blurred and tears started welling up. "B-But I already told her!! I want her to stop looking at me like I'm the worst person in the world!"

Near blinked, unsure of what to say. He was good at reading emotions, but when it came to figuring out how to deal with them, he was completely clueless. Fortunately, Linda stood up and took over.

"Matt, I really don't think you're that bad of a kid. It's just that Mello-"

Matt whirled around, sadness replaced by anger. "What do you know about Mello!? Sure he's rough around the edges, but he's a good kid, too! He's loyal and nice in his own way, and I don't want you looking at _him_ like he's the worst person in the world, either!"

Linda rolled her eyes. "Matt, you really are acting like a bloody twit. You used to be such a good kid before Mello came along… I remember when we used to talk together and nowadays it seems like Mello's got you manipulated into thinking he's the king of the castle. Honestly, if you're going to be sucked into his lies, you might as well just go _marry_ him. You sound like a housewife."

Matt's face turned red and he looked as if he was about to start screaming again, but instead he just stormed out of the room, knocking Near onto the floor. Linda walked over to Near and helped him up. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Near grabbed his hand away and Linda made a sad face. "I'm sorry. I forgot you hate being touched…"

Near didn't really care about that right now. "Um… I think you need to apologize to Matt, too."

Linda stood up a bit more tall. "I know I do, but he's just really changed over the past four months. He used to follow me around and talk to me and all, but now he just seems to treat Mello like he's some sort of god."

Near looked at the floor. "Well, shouldn't that give you more reason to apologize and make amends?"

Linda sighed. "Near, you're still young. I've said something that is going to be really difficult to make amends for. Besides, something tells me he's reached a phase where he'd rather hang out with other boys."

Near frowned a bit; a little pout. "You're the same age as Matt. Maybe even a few months younger. How can you say that I'm still young- that he's young? How can you just give up on making amends with him? Don't you think that's unfair? And what about what I said? You don't hate me after I made you cry."

Linda blinked, unsure of what to say. "W-Well, you're different."

Near crossed his arms over his chest, finding this whole situation maddening. "How am I any different from him?" It was downright unfair. Linda was a nice person- a loving person. Surely she had to have some reasoning behind her actions!

Linda didn't say anything, until finally Near spoke quietly. "I've replaced him, haven't I?"

Linda winced. She sounded like the worst person in the entire world, the way he said it. He sounded vindictive, sad, and uncaring all at the same time.

After a while, Near glanced back at her as he was walking out the room. "Sorry for disturbing you. I'll be out of your hair now."

And she looked at him as he left, suddenly realizing Near was twice the adult she'd ever be.

------------------------------

One quick stop to the kitchen and-

------------------------------

Near opened the door to their room, holding the jar of peanut butter. As Mello stared at him, he sighed. Of course the blonde was wondering why he was soaking wet. "The older kids decided to have a water balloon fight around the kitchen."

Mello stood up. Here it came; Near knew it. He was going to start yelling at how he missed it. However, it never came. Instead, Mello pulled something out from under Near's pillow. "What's this?"

Near blinked. It was his toy car. It was a police car, and he made a weird yelping noise, causing Mello to drop it. He rushed over and grabbed it. "Don't touch it…"

Mello blinked, wondering what was with him. "What's so special about it? It's just a dumb toy."

Near pushed a button on the bottom of the car, causing the sirens to flash red and blue. "It's… It's not just a dumb toy."

Mello scoffed. "That's what it looks like to me."

Near gave him a side-glance that clearly said, "Get out." But Mello decided to pry. "Where'd you get it?"

Near sat down on his bed, he felt sleepy. He always felt sleepy whenever he got sad. He shrugged, but Mello wouldn't take that as an answer.

"Come on, where'd you get it? Did your mom give it to you?"

Near shook his head and started feeling really uncomfortable, so he curled up and attempted to bury himself in his covers. "No. My mom got rid of me. She didn't want me."

Mello opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He felt some sort of kinship to Near now, even though he wished Near would get the hell away from him. Even though he hated Near. Because…

Because maybe he _didn't_ hate Near as much as he claimed to.

He reached out his hand slowly, until finally he had rested it on Near's head. Near looked at him, hazel eyes wide and curious. Then Mello smiled. And it was one of understanding- a gentle, understanding smile- so Near swallowed and looked back at the red and blue flashing lights. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react, but it made him feel calm. That, he was sure of.

Mello wiped the water off his hand and picked up the peanut butter, grabbing his brush and heading towards a mirror on the closet. "My mom didn't want me either. So I suppose… Did your dad get that for you?"

Near nodded, feeling sleepy and queasy now, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "Y-Yes. Dad always made sure to make time for me, even when he was busy with work."

Mello opened the jar and globbed some of the mush onto the tangle, working it in so he made sure it got on the gum. He'd need water, too. Crap. The bathroom was at the end of the hall, in a door on the right. Wait- water!

He walked over to where Near was, grabbing the cloth from the shirt he was wearing. "You know, if you just sit here soaking wet, you'll catch a cold. Come on, I have an extra pair of pants and I know Matt has a ratty old shirt lying around somewhere. You need help?"

Near blinked, then shook his head, chuckling a bit. "Oh, you need water, too. Alright…" He fiddled with the buttons until they were all undone and took it off, giving it to Mello.

"Mr. Roger's going to be angry if you leave a big wet spot on the floor. You sure you don't need a bucket?"

Mello shook his head and grabbed the shirt. "He won't notice. Now take your pants off." Near stood up and the wet pants pretty much just fell off, the weight of the water already pulling down on them. The only way he had been able to keep them up on his way over here was to grab onto them and pull them up ever once in a while when they got too low.

Mello stared at him. "Geez Near! You're pale as a ghost and skinny, too! It's like looking at a skeleton! Didn't your parents feed you!?"

Near's cheeks flushed a bit. "Er… I guess I just have a fast metabolism…" Mello's eyes were still wide, and he gave a low whistle.

"No kidding…"

Near shivered lightly, and then once again a bit more violently. Mello's heart went out to him. It really did. The poor kid was stuck in a room with someone who'd already attacked him on more than one occasion, standing cold and wet and half-naked right in front of him. Who wouldn't have been scared and shivering?

Mello pointed at him. "You stay here real fast while I find you some clothes." Near nodded and Mello sat out to grab a pair of pants from the closet, one of Matt's shirts under his bed, and a pair of underpants. Those, of course, were Near's. He handed him the clothes, then put a hand over his own eyes.

"Alright. Now you can change. Tell me when you're done."

Near changed and tapped Mello on the elbow. "Alright, I'm done."

Mello took the hand away and grinned. "Thanks! Now I have water for my hair!" He picked up the clothes and went back to the mirror. He made them into a sort of line and picked up the ends of each, wringing the water out onto his head. It was really cold- like ice. And Near had been covered in this? Yikes.

------------------------------

Mello was done in about thirty minutes, and as he turned around, he noticed Near was curled up in his covers, shivering. Now this wouldn't do. Near should have been dry by now, but he needed to make sure. If Near got sick, that meant Roger would get onto Matt and him, forcing them to go into a different room until Near got better, so that it wouldn't spread to them.

In short- it was a hassle, and he wasn't going to let that happen any time soon.

He strode over and looked the boy over. Near's hair was still damp- and that was probably it. He pulled on the shirt Near was wearing a bit. When Near looked up, he was obviously cold. His expression expressed discomfort- the kind associated with being extremely cold.

"Christ, Near, you're still shivering. Come on, let me help you warm up."

He extended his hand out, making sure Near didn't start freaking out again, before putting it on his head. Yes. The hair was still damp, and he bent down, hugging the younger boy so he would warm up. Near shivered occasionally, until finally it subsided.

Mello stood there, warming the other boy, thinking. It wasn't that he didn't hate Near, he supposed. And it wasn't that he hated him either. Near just… rubbed him the wrong way. He was two years younger and just as smart- if not _more_ than he was. He was jealous. He wanted to be better- no, _needed_ to better. Because… Because he… needed to be loved. Maybe if he had been smarter, Mama would have loved him. And Near… Near was in the way of that. In the way of proving himself worthy of being loved by Mama. Even though she wasn't here. And Near was-

Come to think of it, Near was starting to become warm, too. He felt like nodding off. His eyelids began to droop and then…

Linda screamed on the other side of the wall, and Matt opened the door, cackling like mad. As he ran in, the other two began to notice what he was holding- a card with a heart on the front. "Oooh! Linda! It looks like someone likes you!!" Linda was flushed scarlet, sweat dripping down her forehead. Apparently she had been chasing him for a while.

"M-Matt! Give it back! It's not yours!!"

Matt stuck his tongue out. "No! You dropped it on the grass, that means whoever finds it gets to keep it!!" Linda screamed again, pouncing for him, but missing as he evaded her advances.

She tripped and collided with Matt's bed. "Ow!"

Matt blinked, eyes wide, and jumped over next to her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Linda! I didn't think you'd-"

She glared at him, a small bruise on her forehead, a little bit of blood trickling down. So Matt freaked, threw the paper on the ground and used his sleeve to wipe the blood away. He sucked in a breath through closed teeth, wincing as he did so. "D-Does it hurt!?"

Linda didn't respond. Instead she paused as she came face to face with Mello- in what appeared to be a loving cuddle with Near. Her mouth dropped and Mello blushed, reeling away from Near. "I-It's not what it looks like! I swear!"

She cleared her throat. This made Matt glance back. "What? Something happened?"

Mello glared, face turning even redder. "N-Nothing! Nothing at all!"

Near stared at them blankly, apparently not really caring what it looked like. "I was cold. The older kids got into a water balloon fight and I got soaked. Mello was merely warming me up."

Now Matt's mouth dropped, and he looked from Near to Mello, back at Near and finally at Mello again. "You guys are-"

Mello glared. "No!! That's just gross!! Why would I like _him_!?"

Matt looked down, noticed the card and remembered Linda, then turned back to her. "Anyways, do you think you're alright?" He pouted and she made a face.

"OH? And I _suppose_ the fact that _you're_ the one that caused it doesn't mean anything!?" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, eyes closed, making a sniffing sound.

Matt became more upset. "I said I was sorry!"

Mello picked up Linda by her armpits and dragged her towards the door. "Linda! If there's no reason for you to be here, then get out!" Matt frowned and bounced up, over to where Mello was.

"Hey! Put her down! She didn't do anything to you!" Mello turned and gave an evil smile to Matt.

"Oh! Then I guess it's _you_ I should be throwing out!" Matt shook his head and instead grabbed Linda's hand, helping her up. As soon as she was up, she bowled over the two of them and hurried over to the card.

"This isn't a love letter! I made it for when L comes and visits us tomorrow! He's arriving tomorrow and I wanted to make him a card and get all of us to sign it!"

Mello's eyes perked up, and Matt's head shot upward.

Mello ran over towards her. "L's coming!? Tomorrow! Really?? I want to sign it!" Matt shoved him over to the beds.

"No! Me first!"

Mello jumped up and grabbed Matt's arm, pulling him behind him. "No! I've actually got a pen!"

Matt pouted. "No you don't! Let's see it!"

Mello gave a mischievous grin and reached over to the desk, grabbing a pen, shoving it in the redhead's face. "Right here!"

Matt pouted even more, choosing to just let him have his way this time. Mello turned around and signed it, handing the pen to Matt. Matt signed it then handed it back to Linda. "Here you go."

Linda smiled and closed the card with the pen and walked towards the door. Mello and Matt watched her, until she turned around.

"Mello, that hurt! You shouldn't just grab someone like that and drag them around! You could have dislocated my shoulders!"

Mello rolled his eyes. "Oh, _you_ hurt!? Think about how I felt- dragging a sea cow to the door! Honestly Linda, you need to lose a few hundred pounds, you fat pig!"

Linda's jaw dropped and the boys could have sworn they saw flames leap up in her eyes. "Why I-"

Mello slammed the door on her, hitting her bruise and causing her to yelp in pain. He locked the door and ignored her fists pounding against the door. She would get tired and leave eventually- it wasn't like she worked out or anything.

Matt shot Mello a dirty look. "That was mean, you know. Linda's actually cute! If anyone weighed a ton, it'd be you. All that chocolate you eat is going to come back one of these days and bite you in the arse."

Mello rolled his eyes. "Well then, when it bites me in the arse, I'll just have to bite it back twice as hard." Matt shook his head.

At this point, Near had snuck out, wanting to get away from all the commotion, so it was just the two partners in crime alone in the room. Matt sat down on his bed and glanced at the clothes on the floor. They were white and pretty damp looking. "Say, aren't those Near's clothes?"

Mello glanced back at him. "Yeah. He ended up changing."

Matt looked at the ground, fiddling idly with his thumbs, until finally he said, "What was Linda so awestruck about? When I looked you were just standing there."

Mello's cheeks flushed and he swallowed. "It wasn't really anything. It was just like Near said. So? I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like it's the end of the world."

Matt smiled and clasped his hands together, crossing them over his lap. "Yeah. I guess." Mello yawned and glanced over at him.

"Speaking of- what was with that whole love letter thing? It's not like you to be a total- Well, maybe it is, but what was that all about?" Matt shrugged and Mello wasn't satisfied. So he continued. "What, you like her or something?"

Now it was Matt's turn to blush and he scratched the back of his head, looking out the window. He didn't really agree with what Mello said, but he didn't deny it either.

Mello grinned. "Aha! You _do_ like her!" Matt's head turned towards him immediately, cheeks red, mouth open.

"I-I do not! She's just a friend!"

Mello sat on his own bed and reached under it for the box. He pulled out a nail file and started to shape his nails and clean out whatever was underneath them- which could be a lot, depending on how long he was outside.

Matt watched him for a while, until Mello stuck his tongue out in concentration.

"What do you like about her? She's whiny and annoying and tries to act all high and mighty."

Matt bit his lip. "You can't say that! You're almost exactly like her! The only thing different is she acts a bit more boyish than you!"

Mello threw the file down and slowly lifted his head, eyes menacing. "_What_ did you say?" Matt looked away, knowing he had dug his own grave.

Mello continued. "Are you saying I'm a _girl_?"

Matt shook his head, gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head again. "N-No. I'm just saying that you can act all high and mighty, too."

Mello crawled over to where Matt was sitting and grabbed his arm. "That _is_ what you're saying, isn't it!? I'm not a freaking girl, Matt! Maybe _you_ want me to be, but I'm not!! You're starting to piss me off!" He grabbed onto Matt's arm with his other arm and twisted. Hard.

Matt yelped and grabbed his arm away. "Owww! Mello, that hurts!! What are you doing!?" Mello huffed and turned back around sharply, crossing his arms over his chest, just as Linda had done previously.

Matt watched and then looked at his arm, which had been rubbed red. He was still wincing, but he felt colour rushing to his cheeks. He wasn't sure if he liked Linda because she reminded him of Mello or if he liked Mello because he reminded him of Linda. He was hoping on the latter, since that would make things a bit easier to deal with.

------------------------------

Near padded into the hallway and grabbed Linda's sleeve. "Linda…" She turned around and glanced at him, realizing who it was and smiling.

"Oh, Near! It's you! What's up?"

Near paused and fiddled with his earlobe, looking at the floor and itching the back of his ankle with the other foot. He had heard of L. L had worked with his father shortly before he had died. However, he was afraid to find out, because that meant L might remember him through his father. And if that happened, he'd start talking about his father. And if he started talking about his father, he'd ask about his mom, and why she didn't want him anymore. And he didn't want-

He felt a hand on his shoulder, just one fingertip, but it was enough to wake him from his reverie. "Near, what's wrong? You okay?" He looked up and Linda gasped. "Near! You look really pale! Are you sure you're not getting sick? We need to get your hair dried off! Oh, and I need to go ask the nurse for some chicken soup! And we need to-"

Near shook his head and looked at his feet again. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

Linda tilted her head, obviously worried about Near's health, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't pry. "Oh? Thinking about what?"

He didn't answer for a few moments, until he shook his head. "Nothing… It's really nothing…" Now this- this was something Linda would pry at. Something was obviously up, and she wanted to make sure he was okay.

"It's obviously something. Come on, what's bothering you?"  
"Well…" He paused, before looking back up at her. "Could you… tell me about L?"

Linda smiled, excited that she was able to tell him who L was. "Oh! L's sort of the main reason why this orphanage got started! Mr. Wammy says that L was just a little boy when he took him in, and that he was already thinking about starting an orphanage. However, when he met L, he realized that no one else was going to help children like us. And so, he started Wammy's House."

Near blinked. He hadn't known that before. It was vaguely interesting. He'd have been more interested in it if he wasn't wanting to learn more about L. "Oh? But who is L?"

Linda beamed, almost as if she was talking about a member of her family. She looked so proud. "L is a detective! He's extremely smart and extremely easy to get along with! He's just like a big brother or a father figure to all of us here. I think you'd like him, Near. He's a lot like you. He doesn't like being touched, either, and he's a bit eccentric."

Near smiled a little. Well, if L was like him, he might not mind telling him why his mother got rid of him.


	7. Call Me What You Will

_I'm doing fine. That's pretty much it._

_I cosplayed as Near for A-kon. It was hella fantastic. Me and my friend (who was cosplaying as an L) found a Matt and Mello cosplay combo team. It was amazing. They were amazing. We were probably the most "canon" little Death Note group there. In the photo shoot, the Mello was grabbed onto Matt and I was sitting there- her boot was propped up on my back and I was looking very distressed. _

_It was marvelous._

_Anyways- here's chapter seven. _

_I'm hoping to squeeze in flashbacks in the next chapter. I feel most free to type loosely when there's a flashback. _

_Near acts like a little bastard in the manga, but I think he's secretly (or maybe it's not a secret) just extremely bad at making friends. And his version of playing is more torment. I guess that's why he's so loveable._

_Then again it's probably just because he's a little kid with action figures._

_Surprisingly, even though Near's my favorite character, I prefer writing about and drawing Mello and Matt. Is that weird? I mean, does Near even count as my favorite character? It makes me wonder sometimes. I've also been wanting to write a chapter where Mello and Matt make a bomb and set it off, causing panic at the orphanage and all…_

_Maybe in the next chapter…_

_But for now you'll have to stick with the fluff that made me blush writing it. n.n Oh, and I accidentally put that Near liked nibbling on his foot instead of nibbling on his food. Have fun with that one. I changed it this time around, though. And I attempted an accent in this one. Miss Margaret is supposed to sound hickish. At least in English terms. To Americans she just sounds like a dirty London tramp. Bleh. Tell me if you think her accent is at least a bit accurate. (I can't help but feel it's lacking.)  
_

_Ah yes, and for the reason why Mello calling Linda foppish is funny (just in case some of you weren't aware):_

_**Fop** (noun)  
Fashion-conscious man  
A man who is so obsessed by fashion and vain about his own appearance that he becomes ridiculous._

_- Cake-chan (I could not resist making Matt have a wedgie. I just think it's too cute.)_

_P.S. I'm in a bit of a pickle. Is Lawliet L's last name and L is his first name? Or is Lawliet his first name and he isn't given a surname? I desperately need some kind of clarification. _

----------------------------------------

The next day, while the morning classes were in session, L arrived. He drove up in a black car. It was very refined and elegant looking. Near watched on from the window in the second story library.

He was nervous- nervous and jittery. He felt like screaming and disappearing all at once. So he hid himself in the library, curled up in the corner, reading a book about the migratory patterns of birds. He wasn't really interested in the content- it just gave him a way to hide.

Meanwhile, by the gate, on the lawn, Mello was sitting and chatting with Matt.

"I wonder if L will have another session with me. Last month he took me out for chocolate cake. It was the best in the entire world."

Matt nodded, playing his Game Boy. "Chances are he's coming to have a session with you. After all, he usually only comes back and visits when he wants something."

"Really? You've been here longer than I have. When was the last time he visited before he met me?"

Matt hummed a little ditty to himself to help him think and play at the same time. It was "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. He liked the Spice Girls a _lot_. Mello could hardly stand them, but he supposed they were hot… or something.

"Well. L usually comes when he wants something. I remember when he was done with a case he came once, but I don't remember anyone telling us that he was done with the case he was working on right now. So I guess he came because something important happened. Although, the only thing that has changed around here is Near's arrival."

A thought struck Mello, and Matt had barely any time to react before L stepped out of the car and Mello stood up, throwing himself at the older detective. "L! Welcome back! Did you come for another session??"

L recoiled a bit and grabbed Mello by the shoulders, gently prying the boy from his waist. He mumbled something that Mello didn't catch and ruffled the blonde's hair, extending his other hand to his lips, index finger out, smiling a bit. His sign that Mello needed to wait.

That Mello needed to wait his turn.

Matt looked up and frowned a bit, standing up and following his friend. He had a wedgie, so he more or less waddled a bit towards them, trying to get the bunch out. "Mello…"

Mello looked down, ignoring his friend and hating that Near was indeed the reason L came. He glanced back up at L, who was looking at the window of the library, smiling a bit. As Mello's head turned upward, he barely caught a glimpse of a little white head duck down out of view. He was going to beat that little turd. He was _going_ to be better than Near.

Even if it killed him.

-----------------------------

He was sure L had been looking at him. Which was why Near decided to try and hide even more. In the back room where they stored books that were too outdated, there was a little niche between a bookcase and the corner of the room. There were a few boxes piled up around it, making it nice and secluded. He ignored the smell of dusty atlases and stale newspapers, even though he coughed every once in a while.

He managed to hide for a good twenty minutes before the door to the back room creaked open. Someone turned the corner and Near realized it was someone he had never seen before. It was a young man with unruly hair and dark eyes. He was chewing something, and as Near took a closer look, he realized the older man was eating a peach.

Near liked peaches. He preferred sour things, such as pickles and limes, but peaches were an exception. The only exception. The older man tilted his head a bit and watched the younger boy with a bemused look on his face.

Near coughed a bit, a few dust bunnies getting caught in his throat.

"Yes. This place is a bit dusty, but I used to like it back here, too…"

Near looked up again. "Who are you?"

The man smiled and lifted up his right hand, forming an L with his fingers. "Whoever you want me to be, I suppose."

----------------------------

Matt scratched the side of his face as Mello turned around, giving him a winning sneer. "Well… maybe L needed to talk to Roger first…"

Mello's face tensed up even more and turned red, looking like his head was about to explode. He grabbed Matt's hand, needing some kind of support. He was squeezing, hard, and his palm was sweaty. Soon Matt's hand began to sweat as well, but for other reasons.

"No he wasn't! He was going to talk to Near!"

Matt tried his best to smile, though he was in pain and he was worried that Mello would have some sort of aneurism. "You don't know that. Near's up in the library. I'm sure L has better things to do than bother a boy who's reading…"

Mello let go of Matt's hand and pushed into Matt, causing the Game Boy to fall out of his hands and onto the grass. His face got real close to Matt's, enough so he could see tears welling up in his best friend's eyes. And he screamed.

"What do you know!? You're just a stupid little average kid with fake glasses!! You might as well take them off! You're not fooling anyone because everyone knows how stupid you really are!" Mello grabbed the glasses off Matt's face and threw them on the ground, crushing them under the heel of his Doc Martens.

Matt took one step back and his bottom lip quivered. "M-Micky… You're scaring me…"

Mello's eye twitched and his pupils dilated. "I told you not to call me that! Now just go away and bother Linda like you usually do!" Matt turned around and dashed off and up into the climbing tree. He finally realized he liked Linda because she yelled at him.

Because Mello yelled at him.

--------------------------

"You're L, aren't you?"

The young man nodded. "And you are Nate, correct?"

Near nodded. It had been a while since he had been called his real name. Almost a year. He had been in an orphanage before and had earned the nickname Near. He remembered it like it was yesterday. He never spoke, never made any expressions. Showed no emotions. So the children began to say he was nearly a ghost. Thus, Near. People forgot he was there, and he didn't mind. He could have cared less.

But hearing it after almost a year gave him a good feeling. And the older boy said it very gently. It was pleasing to his ears. Almost like when his mother would say it. It made him _want_ to be recognized- to be remembered.

Near nodded. L finished his peach and licked the juice off his fingers. He was a very messy person- hardly the type of person Near would have expected to be a detective. The young man stepped towards him and produced another peach from his pocket. "Quilsh says you like peaches, so I brought you one."

Near took it and looked it over, smelled it a bit; he wanted to take a bite, but it was dusty up here and the fuzz felt grubby and there were germs everywhere. He looked up at L with a helpless look on his face, and the detective smiled and produced another peach- this time in a sealed baggy.

"Don't worry. Quilsh stopped by a grocer and washed this one before sealing it."

Near accepted, traded off the grubby peach and opened the baggy, removing the fleshy treasure. He nibbled at it a bit; he had a habit of nibbling his food rather than taking big bites. It was delicious- perfectly sweet and not too watery, nor too dry.

L crouched down and watched the boy, a blank look on his face, idly chewing on his thumb. The boy was cute, fair-skinned and frail-looking. Definitely not like the man he had worked with just two years previously. He wondered if Near took after his mother instead. Then again, genetics had a way of dealing wild cards every so often. Which was probably the case, since the boy was… pigment-impaired.

"Your father was a good man, Nate."

Near looked up. Swallowed. And here it came. He just knew it. It was only a matter of time until-

"He was very courageous. And smart, too. I would have left sooner, but before I was able to leave New York he got shot trying to make an arrest, and I had to stay and catch his murderers."

Near sat the peach down and fiddled with his earlobe, making a low groaning noise and pouting a bit. It was obvious the boy was uncomfortable with the subject, but L needed to pry, for reasons of his own.

"Do you miss him?"

Near nodded slowly, before rubbing his eyes to keep the tears from falling. L patted him on the top of the head. "It's alright. I miss my father, too." Near looked up at him with big, watery eyes and tugged on L's shirt until the detective pulled him into a hug.

--------------------------

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. After Matt ran off, Mello's face paled back to its normal colour. He looked from the glasses, broken on the ground, to the Game Boy lying close beside them.

He had to apologize. _Had_ to. A few of the kids on the lawn were staring, and he could feel the looks they were giving him. _I'm a total creep._ He had opened his mouth again and the wrong things had come out. He _had_ wanted to burst into tears and scream about Near, but instead he had ended up screaming at Matt.

He picked up the Game Boy and the glasses- or at least the pieces that were left- and started towards the climbing tree. He took a running jump and grabbed onto the branch, his arms swinging over so he wouldn't break the Game Boy in the process. As he wriggled his legs up onto the branch, he could hear Matt sobbing.

When he was situated on the branch, he looked at Matt. The boy was crying and the tears didn't look like they would stop any time soon. Mello crawled over and rumpled Matt's red hair. "Come on Matt, only girls cry. I didn't mean it. You're not stupid."

Matt shook his head. "I've been here longer than a third of the kids at this orphanage, but for four years I didn't have a roommate. All the other kids ended up getting their own, while I got the room to myself. All the teachers said it was because there weren't enough kids for it to work out, but eventually even the kids who arrived after I did got roommates."

Mello frowned. "That's because all the other kids-"

Matt shook his head again, more furious this time. A stray tear caught Mello on the cheek. Mello wiped the tear off and stopped talking.

"Then all the kids started saying I was just too stupid and everyone else was far too smart for me. They said the difference in intelligence was too great. And it's true! I'm too fidgety and I can't pay attention for long periods of time. I'm always playing my Game Boy and forgetting to talk to the people around me. I bought the glasses 'cause I thought they'd make me look smarter and people would stop thinking I was stupid. And sure enough, as soon as I did that, I got a roommate. I got you, Mihael."

Mello didn't really think. His body seemed to move on its own and soon he was hugging Matt, kissing the tears away on his cheeks. "You're just perfect, Matt. None of the other kids are smart enough to get someone L wants as a successor in their room. Besides, with things the way they are, it looks like you have two who are in line. So stop acting like a girl!"

Matt blushed and sniffled a bit. He felt a lot better, and after a while he mumbled, "You're acting more like a girl than I am."

Mello frowned and bopped him on the head lightly, before kissing Matt's eyelid as his friend flinched. "Yeah, well at least I'm not as annoying as that foppish **Linda**! And I'm way better looking than her, too!"

He smirked and Matt chuckled. The laughter bubbled over and soon both boys were laughing in the tree, leaning on each other, cheeks red and tears streaming down their faces.

--------------------------

Near had finished eating his peach and the pit was sitting neatly in the baggy. Not a drop was anywhere- as opposed to L, whose face was covered in juice and the pits of his two peaches were sitting on his head. L smiled and looked Near over once more. "You're very thorough, I see."

Near nodded. "I like keeping things clean so they don't cause a fuss."

L began chewing on his thumb again, face intense, as he was deep in thought. "Near… how do you like your classes?" Near looked up and shrugged.

"Well… I like them, I guess. But they _are_ a bit dull."

Tilt,

"Dull?"

Near nodded and L smirked. "Are they too easy for you?" Near shrugged.

"I suppose… They're just… dull… I learn the information too easily. Like, it's difficult, but I'm able to pick it up easier."

L gave a slight nod and glanced up at the ceiling, pondering. "You're a very bright boy, Near. You also have a good manner of carrying yourself. You're very calm and level-headed. I like that."

Near pulled on his earlobe a bit, looking at his socks, picking at a loose thread again. "Why are you talking to me?"

L smiled and put a finger to his lips, shushing the boy. "Now that- that's a secret. I'll tell you when you're older."

Near looked up and L stood- hunched, but standing nonetheless. As he began to leave the room, Near sneezed. His head had been pounding all day and he felt that the water balloon fight had finally caught up with him.

L turned and picked the boy up beneath the armpits. It was clumsy and awkward, but oddly comforting. "Are you feeling well?" Near shook his head and the detective began to carry him out of the room. "Well, we can't have that now, can we? Come on. I'm sure the nurse will be able to give you something for those sniffles."

-----------------------

L walked into the infirmary and placed Near in one of the chairs, ruffling the boy's hair a bit. When he turned around, the nurse was looking at them, wondering what was going on. "'Ello L. Is there something wrong? It's not like you 't all to come 'ere."

L smiled nervously. He may have been dexterous at talking with children, but when it came to adults- especially to someone who had seen him naked on more than one occasion- he was at a loss. "Hello, Miss Margaret. I see you still sound like a hick."

She waved her hand at him. "Water under th' bridge, love. Now wot can I 'elp you with?" L glanced at Near. Near looked back up at him, his lips quivering a bit. He leaned down, curious as to why Near looked so frightened.

"Does she scare you? I can't blame you. That Cockney accent still gives me chills…"

Near shook his head, hissing into L's ear in a strained whisper. He spoke quietly already, so trying to make his voice softer always strained his voice.

"No, it's just that last time I went here, she forgot I was here and nearly locked up with me still inside. Then, it was lights out when I went back to my room and I tripped over a textbook…" He pointed to a rather nasty bruise on his temple and L began nibbling on his own thumb.

"Well… I'm sure Miss Margaret won't forget a second time. Just in case, I'll come back after a while and check up on you. Does that sound reasonable?" He didn't need to ask- he knew it was. He was the most reasonable person in the world. He was L. His reasoning abilities were unmatched!

Near nodded his head slowly, before glancing at Miss Margaret. She had freckles all over her face and he swore he saw a liver spot. Her face wasn't very wrinkled- but that was probably because her graying brown hair was pulled so tightly into a bun on the top of her head that the skin was pulled upward as well.

She gave him a reassuring smile, but it didn't help, since her teeth were stained yellow from tobacco. He shuddered and her smile faded. "Wot a cheeky li'le boy, you are!"

L turned around. "That's the same thing you said to me, Miss Margaret." Miss Margaret laughed, almost putting a hand on L's shoulder, but then retracting it as L moved a bit.

"And yet, 'ere we are, just a coupl'a blokes 'avin' a friendly chat!"

L turned to Near and gave him a small smile. "There now. She's not so frightening now, is she?" Near shook his head and L stalked out of the room in that hunched way of his. The second he left the room, Miss Margaret gave him a look that could freeze boiling water.

She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled out a cigarette from a pack in her pocket. "Now then, wot's th' problem with you, ya li'le twit?" She lit up and Near coughed, but she continued to smoke anyways.

"Um… I feel sick."

"Well, of course ya do! That li'le 'ell-raiser Mello's always pushin' li'le shits like you around!" She took another drag and bent her neck to the sides, cracking her spine. She sighed and put the cigarette out on a coaster, then shoved it behind the counter.

Near flinched, unsure if she was being nice or whether she was being mean. She grabbed the stethoscope and lifted Near's shirt. Near jerked away, and she sighed. "Come back 'ere! I can't check yeh chest if you keep bloody moving!"

He paused and she grabbed his shirt again, putting the cold steel against his chest. "Take a deep breath, love."

He did and she continued for a while, checking his back, the other side of his chest, and various places across his torso. "Well, it sounds like th' only thing wrong is a cold, but it's beginning t' look like you might 'ave pneumonia. Get y'self some rest an' you should be fine in a week."

Near blinked. "Is it bad?"

Miss Margaret gave him a toothy grin. "Not 't all, love! You'll be good as new with some rest! Oh, but I better tell Roger so 'e moves you to an empty room for a while. Don't want li'le Mattie gettin' sick!" She laughed to herself.

Apparently Matt was a favorite here. How long had he been here, anyway?

-----------------------

L had walked around for quite some time, asking around for Mello. Roger had gone back to doing paperwork, saying he hadn't seen him all morning- while quietly adding 'Bloody fantastic morning', though L could still hear it. None of Mello's teachers knew where he was, and Matt was nowhere to be found either!

That only left one more option- the children. Everyone knew Mello, so surely one of the children would know where he was. He padded down the room, watching a few kids run in from outside.

A few of the older kids waved and greeted him, and he waved back. But the older ones wouldn't know where Mello went. No, it would take someone with an observant eye to find Mello, and most of the younger children were very observant when it came to following Mello around the lawn. Mostly because he would stomp around, causing a ruckus.

He bent down at one wide-eyed girl. Her hair was caramel in colour, and he felt hungry looking at it. She had big, green eyes, that were currently a bit watery. He crouched down to her level, mumbling a quiet greeting. "Hello there."

She stared at him, mouth open. This was L! Talking to her! She was only seven, what could he possibly gain from talking to her? "H… Hi…" She blushed deeply, and L smiled.

"What's your name?"

"C-Carol…"

"Well, Carol, would you happen to know where Mello went?"

She nodded her head furiously, pointing outside. "Mello got angry at Matt, who ran off to their tree. Mello eventually followed and they never came down." She leaned in close, putting a hand next to L's ear, whispering, as if Mello would hear her and get mad. "I think they're up there kissing."

L laughed and patted her on the head. The things children said these days. "Thank you Carol. Have a good day, today." As he walked off, she hugged his leg, then grabbed the skirt of one of the volunteers, giggling to herself and blushing.

L walked outside, to the tree hanging out over the edge of the gate. Their tree, eh? He stepped against the trunk, feeling the smooth-grained wood. He lowered his head to duck underneath a branch so he could peek up into the inner branches. He smiled at the sight.

Mello was sitting there, sleeping. His head was resting on Matt's chest, and Matt was yawning in his sleep, curling up around Mello so his head rested on the blonde's temple.

L figured he could wait until they woke up before dragging Mello out for another session.


	8. Laughter

Haaaa. So. I've been scoping out a university. It's more of a community college, but whatever. It seems nice. Giant chessboard right in the courtyard, wind chimes in the trees. It's extremely soothing. If I had had a choice to go to a school where I felt most comfortable in as a child, this college would be it. Do you know how much work I would've been able to get done, sitting underneath the trees and staring at the clouds, listening to my teachers ramble on and on? None at all. And that's why I like it. –smiles-

Enough about me, about this story- I chose the name Merle for L's father, because Merle is a French name meaning "black bird" and I thought that was perfect! L's mother is named Linnet, because it also has to do with birds, but I don't think she ends up being in this chapter... I imagined L's parents to be like birds. As in, they are small and don't eat a lot. Which is where L gets his fast metabolism (from his mother's side). To be honest, part of me almost decided to hint that Quilsh had gotten her pregnant and was in turn, L's real father, but that's just silly. Or is it? I'm still not sure if I should have kept it. Oh well. Hopefully someone will kindly scold me for such a silly idea.

Roger still isn't given a surname, because I'm not quite sure if they give him a surname in his little page in Death Note 13: How to Read.

As for why this is all in regular font? It starts out with a flashback. In L's perspective. (Because L is just that special enough, after all. Near might get his own perspective, too, but only because he's the center of this fic.)

Also, I showed a little bit more about Matt and why he ends up in third place. At this moment in time, he hasn't really applied himself at all, so he's not really high up in the placement charts. Matt is actually smart, despite appearances, and he actually does know how to solve complex equations. So I wanted to show him doing something I think he'd be good at, personally. And that is interpreting speech and being able to 'read between the lines'. In other words, he's good at thinking through seemingly ordinary concepts and sentences and going beyond that to branch off of ideas and interpret what someone really means.

- Cake-chan (does not have cancer. Thankfully.)

---------------------------

_Papa was always sick. He had been sick for as long as I could remember. He would often tell me that the reason why I was sick was probably because he was always sick. However, I was sick in a different way. _

_I can remember every facial expression Papa made, and I can remember how he smelled. How his cologne was always too strong and how his moustache tickled my cheeks when he hugged me, forgetting I hated being touched. _

_Sometimes he blamed Mother for my illness. He said that she was far too smart for a woman her age, and that something must have gone wrong with the birth. I remember the picture of Mother that we had sitting in the den. She was very pretty. To this day, I can still remember it as clear as day. She had owlish eyes and a mysterious air about her. She always had this smile on her face that made it difficult to tell what she was feeling. Papa said that it would probably bother me very much. _

_It probably would. When it comes to facial expressions, I can easily pick out how a person is feeling. However, the other signs I don't notice. At least that's how Papa explained it. He took me to a doctor when I was very young. The doctor said that I had trouble distinguishing between fake facial expressions and real ones. _

_It's a well known fact that most people cannot distinguish between them, so I don't know why this made me different. I think the first day I realized how different I was, was the day that Papa died. Papa had made a cup of coffee in the morning like he always did. He smiled like he always did, but apparently he was not feeling alright. _

_People told me later that I should have noticed that his expression was more pained than normal, but to me he looked perfectly fine. He smiled at me like he always did and picked me up, telling me that one day I would meet his friend Quilsh. _

_It was quite sad that that day came sooner than I would have liked. Papa collapsed later that evening and never got back up. I had sat there watching him until daylight came streaming in through the window, before one of his hired nurses walked in and found me there. I remember him telling me that Mother would have been so proud of me. I remember when he gasped. I remember staring at his body for the rest of the evening, waiting for him to get up._

_I can still remember what Papa looked like as they turned him over. The nurse had said that I would probably not want to look, but I did anyway. I wanted to see the expression on Papa's face. It was weird. His face was blue, and it looked like the blood had drained from his face. His lips were puffy and his eyes were swollen shut, but I could still tell that Papa was smiling. Just as he always had. _

_For about twelve weeks, no one spoke to me. They were too busy preparing for the funeral. However, they talked _about_ me quite often. "It's a shame to see his son like that," they would say. "Who will take care of him? It's not like he can take care of himself." "His brain will probably stop growing at the age of twelve. What then? What then? Will he be put in a home?"_

"_...What then, indeed..."_

_That was the first time someone had spoken to me in twelve weeks. I had been listening to the nurses speaking, and after they had asked what would happen, the man beside me spoke. _

"_What then, indeed. The nerve of these people…"_

_I had looked up at him. His French needed a bit of work, for it had a weird accent to it. He had a pair of round spectacles pushed up to the crook of his nose, and he had a nice white moustache over his lips. He had a nice smile, like Papa. If there was any smile I would call sincere, that would be it. It was just like the one on Papa's face. _

"_What is it that _you_ want, L?"_

_I opened my mouth and looked at him. I was unused to speaking, and it was the first time I had actually felt the urge to speak._

"_I want a big piece of strawberry cake, with whipped cream on the side."_

_He had smiled and placed a hand on my sleeve, not touching me, like Papa did because he knew I hated being touched. I noted that this man was remarkably like Papa. "I can manage that. I suppose you want to know who I am. My name is Quilsh Wammy. I'm a friend of your father's." _

_He took me to a place called Winchester and told me that I would be living with him from that point forward. I remember when we arrived. It was a snowy day in December and it was quite cold. I was wearing a coat, a scarf and mittens. The only things I had left from France._

_I remember warming up that night by a fire, curled up in a quilt, devouring a cupcake one of the little girls had made. It was a bit dry, but the icing made up for it. He handed me a sugar cube and said I could always have some of those if I began to crave something sweet, so I flashed him an awkward, lopsided grin, a few gaps in my teeth from where my baby teeth had fallen out._

_It was the first time I had ever smiled in my entire life._

--------------------------

L was sitting in the only free room in the institute- the room designated as his. However, Near had come down with a cold and since Mello and Matt had acquired more possessions in the time they lived there than Near had, Near was placed in the room with him. Miss Margaret had been worried about L's health, of course, but L didn't find Near's cold to be a threat. This just gave him more opportunities to study the boy.

Currently, Near was sitting on the floor, building a city- New York City, to be exact- out of blocks. L, himself, was on the bed, hands on his knees, staring at the files of his current case. He had gone over every possible scenario with every suspect, with none of them leading anywhere. The case had gone cold. Now, he was simply just sitting and thinking about things. After a moment he began to watch Near. It was amazing at how proficiently and accurately placed the boy was at stacking the blocks together. Why, he himself couldn't stack things nearly that fast. How on earth had Near gotten so dext-

With a mighty slam, the door swung open, snapping L out of his thoughts. Mello stomped in, kicking the blocks over. "L! Roger says you've been here for two hours and you _still_ haven't spoken with me! That's so unfair!"

Near's face twisted into a pout, as he started to frantically salvage the city of New York. L's face stiffened a bit, standing and stepping off the bed in one large stride.

"Mello, I'm fully aware of how angry you must feel right now, but that, by no means, gives you the right to storm in here and break- no, _destroy_- the construction of New York City!" Mello looked to L, Near, the blocks, then back at L. L continued. "I went to find you about a half hour ago, but you were in the climbing tree with Matt, sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you because you both looked so peaceful, but if you want-"

Mello's face reddened, and he looked at Near as if the boy would start snickering. "I… I wasn't… Me and Matt were not sleeping in the tree!"

L sighed. "If you want, I can start the session now."

"Yes! I _wanted_ to speak to you when you got here!"

"But I was busy, and I told you to wait…"

"Busy talking to **Near**!"

Near looked up, a shrewd listener as always. "Mello… I doubt that's important right now. Instead of some stupid vendetta against me, you should be concentrating on talking to L about your schooling…"

Mello raised his hand to hit the younger boy, but L grabbed his wrist and held it tightly.

"Mello-"

"Let go of me!"

"No. Your conduct is childish, at best. You are not to hit Near anymore, whether it be face-to-face or just by getting Matt to do the dirty work."

"Let go! Matt isn't a-"

L's voice raised. "_Do you understand_?"

"F-Fine! I understand! Now let me go!! If you were me, you'd hit Near, too! He's like a thorn in my side! Every-bloody-thing he does! It always comes back and hits me twice as hard!"

L glanced back at Near, who was staring at Mello with a blank expression and wide eyes. "No, I wouldn't hit him. _Couldn't_ hit him. Now Mello, I want you to apologize."  
Mello glared at the boy. "Why should I!? He's enjoying this! He just thinks I'm some challenge- a bloody game! I'm just some toy used to entertain him!"  
"Yes, Mello. That's all you are to me. Does it make you happy knowing you're right? To know that people are just pawns in my games, and that I have no feelings other than that? Does it please you? Are you satisfied with yourself?"  
L turned to watch Near. Near's eyes were sad, and he knew that Mello had struck a nerve. Mello, however, assumed Near was taunting him again. When L's guard was down, he twisted from the grip of the older man and kicked Near before pouncing on him. "**I hate you!** You think you're so special!! You think you're so Goddamn perfect!!"  
L grabbed Mello by the elbows and tossed him outside, shutting the door firmly and turning the lock. He glanced over at Near, who was still lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling with a vapid expression.  
"... He... Mello's right, you know. I think- no, I _have_ to think of it as a game, otherwise I start to feel sad..."  
L picked him up and plopped him on the bed, brushing the hair from his eyes and stroking his hair. He was cautious about it, making sure that he did not come into contact with the boy's skin. After a while, Near drifted off to sleep, leaving L to sit and stare at the clock on the wall, watching the seconds tick by.  
"We're a lot alike, Nate."

--------------------------

After L had waited for a moment, he left the room, locking the door behind him. He then wandered towards Roger's office, able to hear Roger speak even when the door was closed and he was four feet away. He opened the door, just catching the end of Mello's scolding. "Mello, your behavior is atrocious. You are not allowed to have your session with L until tomorrow."

Mello just gave him a sour look, crossing his arms over his chest, huffing to himself and mumbling. "Near started it…"

"No, you did when you cut his hair the first night he got here."

Mello flared up again, flames as high as ever. "I already told you Near did it to himself! He even told Linda!"

L spoke up. "It's alright, Roger. Near is fine, but he's just tired from all the activity and what with having a cold and all… Mello deserves the punishment, but I don't want you to keep him from speaking with me. I'd just like to let Mello know,"- And he turned to Mello, as he said this.- "That I haven't even held a session with Near yet. In fact, at the moment, he's hardly a candidate for the position as my successor. I haven't been able to see his grades or his reasoning abilities." Mello looked down, turning red, before looking back up when L addressed him further. "Mello, for _my_ punishment, you must spend the rest of the day with me."

"So… you didn't come here for Near?"

"No, I came to see Near, of course. However, the main reason I came here was to see all of you since the case I'm working on has run cold. Again." Mello just cringed, ashamed of himself. Here L was… just trying to relax and take a breather from one of the most difficult cases he'd ever taken before, and his stupid jealousy was ruining it. His _stupid_ jealousy of Near...

L walked out of the office, hands in his pockets, patting the back of Mello's head softly to coax him forward. "So Mello, what would you like to do, now?"

Mello replied softly, hardly within hearing range. "I don't know…"

"Then why don't we go out for something to eat?"

"That sounds reasonable… But I need to go check on Matt first…"

Roger closed the door after them, going back to his desk and sitting down. He picked up the picture of him, Quilsh and L's father, Merle.

"You know, Roger, I'd have to say that Mello is a lot like you were when you were younger. You should try to be easier on the lad."

Roger looked up to see Mr. Wammy sitting and eating a tea cake in the corner of the room. "Quilsh… You know how I was when I was younger. I needed more discipline."

Quilsh shook a finger at him. "Nonsense, old chap. You simply needed a friend."

_Growing up, Roger didn't get along well with other children his age. He was a trouble-making bully, and even the adults were afraid to cross him. There was one exception, of course, as there always happens to be._

_Quilsh Wammy was a sickly youth. They both grew up together in Winchester. He had always bullied Quilsh, but Quilsh would simply smile and accept it. _

_One particular day in spring, Roger was up to his usual trouble._

_Quilsh was always tinkering with things- these were Roger's favorite targets. At the end of the day he would break what Quilsh had been working so hard on. Anyway, on this particular spring day, he found Quilsh working on something different. It was bright, colourful, and there were very little breakable pieces- minimalism at its finest. _

_He was about to crunch into it as he shoved Quilsh to the ground, but something stopped him. Stopped him from going near the boy or laying a finger on him. Quilsh had the most delighted look on his face- as if it were a game!_

_Usually Roger saw him in deep concentration, but no, not today. Quilsh had a look of utter contentment._

_As Roger approached, Quilsh spoke- it began with a cough, for Quilsh's illness was simply bronchial- and gave him the usual smile. "Roger, you always come over to break my things. I wonder why… Is it because you don't like children? Or do you just not like me?"_

_Roger had dodged the question, of course. "Wot are you making?"_

"_A toy. It's something you can break apart and build back together again into anything you can think of. The plastic is pliable, so you can create arches and square windows- whatever your imagination concocts."_

"_Why make something you'll just break later?"_

"_I don't know. Why do _you_ like to break my things?"_

_Roger paused upon realizing he had no answer for that. "I…"_

"_Is it because it's fun?"_

"_Wot?"_

_Quilsh gave a devilish grin, showing a few teeth missing- his baby teeth fell out at a late age, you see- and Roger couldn't help but smile as well. Quilsh handed him the object in question. "Here. It's for you. To break."_

_Roger smiled again when breaking it after he got home that evening. _

_Perhaps he _was_ just a bad seed like his parents said… Then again, maybe it was because he wasn't used to receiving kindness… Either way, from that moment on, they became inseparable._

_However, when they both entered World War II, the two were separated, with Quilsh inventing things for the war and entering the sniper division, and Roger becoming a medic. As a medic, Roger was sent to the Concentration Camps, where he saw the hollow forms of men, women and children. He saw bodies piled as high as possible. He saw children falling and dying as common place. _

_To this day, he couldn't even look at children without remembering the death camps. However, Quilsh had offered him a job at Wammy's House and he refused to tell Quilsh, as it would cause his big heart grief. Quilsh had met a man named Merle Lawliet during the war, and the two had concocted the idea of forming an orphanage. _

_Lawliet was a very honorable man with a strong sense of justice. Throughout the war, he had come to realize that the answer to the world's problems had to be put in the hands of the coming generations. He jokingly called Wammy's House a place where children went to better the world, and the goal simply stuck._

_To this day, the children who went in the facility, came out with the knowledge to better mankind._

Roger simply smiled. "You're quite right, Quilsh, but Mello already has a friend. So now all he needs is discipline."

Quilsh smiled and waved his finger at him again. "Friends don't always heal a broken heart. You should know that, Roger. I think Mello just needs time to come to terms with his problems. After all, four months is hardly enough time to come to terms with the fact that his parents didn't want him."

Roger sighed. Quilsh was right. He was always right. He had a much bigger heart than he could ever hope to have, and he had the patience to match. "I still think the punishment is fitting. This whole bloody thing started because Mello wanted to have a session with L first."

Quilsh smiled, chuckling to himself. There was no point in telling Roger that "sessions" were just a formal term. In fact, L was always studying people, whether having a "session" with them or not. He couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but he was fairly certain that L's "punishment" for Mello was just a way to work around Roger's authority.

--------------------

Matt was antsy. Mello had gone to L's room a half hour ago and he was beginning to wonder where he was. He said he'd be back and for Matt to wait in the room.

Near's stuff was gone by the time they had come back inside. How could they have let themselves fall asleep? And in a _tree_ no less! Maybe they were just tired after that argument…

He wiggled his bum on the bed, tapping the A button to get a critical hit. His Wartortle- which he had so cleverly named MR.WAMMY- hit his rival's Bulbasaur with Bubblebeam, scoring a K.O. which he desperately needed.

He was so _antsy_. Where was Mello!? His mind began to drift back to the tree, where Mello had k-… where Mello had ki- keez-… where Mello had _comforted_ him on the face a few times. His face lit up like a Christmas tree, his cheeks turning a bright red.

And Mello was still gone. He saved his game and tiptoed to the door. Mello wouldn't mind if he went looking. Surely not! He opened it and stepped into the hallway. It wasn't as if he'd be gone for long… Just long enough for him to stroll over to L's room and back.

However, when he got to L's room, the door was closed. Not just closed, but locked as well. He rapped on the door until finally he heard a "Waugh!" and then a _whump_.

There was some shuffling and the lock to the door opened. It was Near, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand, and rubbing his bum with the other. "… Yes…?"

"Near? Wot are you doing in L's room?"

"Nurse Margaret put me here because I have a cold. Are you looking for L?"

"No… I'm looking for Mello. He came here a while ago."

"Oh. He's… not here anymore. Maybe… he got in trouble?"

"For what?" Honestly. There was no way Mello could've gotten into that much trouble in such a short amount of time! It just wasn't possible. Even for someone like _Mello_.

Near yawned and unbuttoned his shirt a bit, revealing a bruise on his collarbone. "He got mad and attacked me again…"

Matt peered at the bruise, reaching out a hand to poke it. Near stared at him for a while until he realized what he was doing. He stepped back and closed his shirt defensively. "Don't."

Matt lowered his hand, blushing a bit. "S-Sorry… I'm queer… I mean! N-Not like that! I just like to poke things! … And by things I mean, like, normal things! Things that normal little boys would like to poke; bugs and whatnot! Not like…" His voice hissed to a whisper, as if it was too vulgar to say out loud. "Dangly bits…"

Near gave him an odd look, before walking back into his room and sitting on the bed. "What game are you playing?"

Matt swallowed a lump in his throat, glad that Near didn't seem to care. "Pokémon." Near stared at him for a moment and Matt paused. "You know. With Pikachu and Charizard and the like?" Near continued to stare. "Haven't you ever played it before?"

Near shook his head. "My mother wouldn't let me play those kinds of games. She said video games would rot my brain."

"Um… why didn't your mum let you play video games?"

"Didn't I already tell you?"

Matt waited for a moment, then started speaking again. "I mean, that can't be the only reason. Didn't you at least ask for them or something?"

Near shook his head. "I never spoke to my mother."

Matt's eyes widened. "How can you say that?"

"I spoke to my dad. I just never spoke to my mother. We… never clicked."

Matt frowned a bit. "Well, no wonder she got rid of you." The second those words left his mouth, he knew he shouldn't have said them. Near nodded a bit before lowering his head and scratching his nose with an idle finger.

"Probably. But I wouldn't have been able to speak to her if I tried…"

"You don't know that." Near looked up, a sudden curious light perking up in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said you 'wouldn't have been able to speak to her if you tried'. That implies that you never tried talking to her."

Near paused for a moment. It was true- he had never tried to talk to her, nor did he try to make her love him. Matt had a point. Everything about him up until that point had been determined by him, and him alone. If he had tried, would she have abandoned him? Would she have told him he was a defective child and sent him to England?

It never occurred to him that it was what he did or did not do that made him come here. He had just shut himself off, distancing himself from everyone else after his dad…

He smiled and looked up, a strained toned to his voice. "Thanks, Matt."

Matt was battling again, but managed to look up. "Thanks for what?"

Near shrugged. "I dunno, really."

Matt laughed. "Well, I'll see you around. Laters."

With that, Matt walked off, the sounds of his game finally ghosting out until they could no longer be heard. Near curled back up on the bed. Maybe it was like that for all the children. Maybe it was like that for L. All he knew was that he knew that what had happened had been under his control, in a sense. That thought made him feel like he could do anything.

--------------------------------------

They sat down in the bakery, strawberry shortcake in front of L, and German chocolate in front of Mello. L took the strawberry off, placing it to the side for later. Mello stuck his fork in his piece a few times, not very hungry, even if it was chocolate. It was L who spoke first.

"So tell me, Mello, when was our last session?"

Mello's voice was soft and he continued staring at his cake, prodding it with his fork. He made a low hum, expressing annoyance and frustration. "Session's just a formal term. Every time you see me, it's a session."

This caused L to smile. Mello was still sharp, even when he was angry. L watched as Mello scraped a bit of icing off the cake with his fork and licked it. "That's correct. Now, about Near…" Mello stopped immediately and tensed up, jaw clenching, even though his mouth had been closed. "He tells me his classes are very easy." Mello stuck the fork into his cake and looked up at L.

"Why do we have to talk about _him_!? Why can't we just talk about me like we always do!?"

"Well, it seems you harbor some guilt."

"Guilt?" He let go of his fork, which caused it to topple over a bit and let a piece of the cake go flying, and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away and chuckling. "Ha! And what makes you think I feel guilty?"

"I believe you put it as, 'It always comes back and hits me twice as hard.'"

There was a long pause, as Mello curled his hands into little fists and braced himself in his seat, clenching every muscle in his body. L could see him bite his bottom lip. He bit it relentlessly until blood was drawn. Only then did he begin to speak.

"Well… he makes me hurt. I try to hate him… but I can't."

L took a few more bites out of his cake, pondering over what Mello had said before swallowing and looking Mello in the eye. "And I suppose you're angry because you can't figure out why it is you can't hate him completely, yes?" Mello nodded and L took another bite, looking up at the ceiling. "Then perhaps it's not that you hate _him_. Perhaps it's that you hate the fact that he's better than you. Maybe that's why you can't hate him completely- because you only hate that he's better than you and not him as a person."

Mello jumped up. "But I want to hate him so badly! He's always cutting me down, as if he knows just what will hurt me! I hate it!" His voice was at a dull roar, and L had to place a hand on his arm to get him to quiet down.

Mello turned red and looked around at various people staring at him. He sat down in his seat and picked his fork back up, shredding it and occasionally nibbling on the little crumbs he was making.

L smiled. "Mello, you say he was able to cut you down when he's only been here a few days?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." He looked up at L and gave him a strange look, suspicious.

L smiled, finishing off his cake, and stuffed the strawberry in his mouth. Mello just gaped and stood up. "See! You lied! You _do_ want him as a successor!!" L stopped, widened his eyes and put a hand over Mello's mouth.

"You shouldn't speak so loudly about that in public. Come on, let's finish this conversation outside."

He paused to look at Mello's cake, noticing it was unfinished. "Say… Are you going to finish that cake or can I have it?"

Mello rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can have it. Just hurry up so I can finish yelling at you."

L chuckled a bit and pulled the plate over towards him to devour the rest of Mello's snack. Mello was quite the talker. He was also bold, and blunt, and had a way about him that just made you want to do as he said. L would have to watch our, lest Mello manipulate him into doing something he normally wouldn't do.

---------------------------------

When they left, Mello watched L carefully. L was walking in that hunched way of his, hands almost in his pockets looking very laid-back. However, Mello knew better. L was deep in thought, despite appearances. He decided that this would be the best time to start yelling at him again.

"So you lied! You _are_ considering him!?" L nodded, which got Mello enraged even further. " **I knew it**!! But I'll beat him! I become better than him- no, better than even **you**!!"

L laughed and Mello stopped. L got amused, he smiled, he chuckled, but he **never** laughed out loud. L's laughter fell out of his mouth like rain on a lake. He wasn't completely an adult yet, so his voice still sounded somewhat childish. At least, by pitch.

Mello felt humiliated. "Wh-What's so funny!?"

L laughed and spoke between bouts of 'ha ha ha's and 'hee hee hee's, "Mello, you are so determined and so full of spunk. That's the reason I chose you as my successor in the first place!"

Mello smiled as L ruffled his hair. Mello and Near. These two made his heart burst. These two were perfect. One was outspoken and bold, while the other was calm and calculating. These two would take his place. _Both of them_ would take his place, without question.


	9. Bullied

Dum dee dum. How have I been? Let's see. I've been fine, I'm surviving. I have another story for you all. (I believe my first story was in _Runner's High_, Chapter 10. Need.)

When I still went to a private school, it was way back in the 6th grade. Well, there was this woman there who was the kindest lady in the world and everyone loved her. She was my favorite teacher, and one day it became known to me that she was quitting. When I asked why, I got my answer, but it wasn't the one I was looking for. Her son was gay and the school board had expelled him, afraid he'd "infect" the other students. As it turns out, she chose to leave because they were going to fire her anyways. They believed she was not fit to teach us to be good little Christians.

In short, the event had a big impact on me and to this day I find the thought of organized religion to be a nice thought, but entirely needless. All it does is cause more problems than it tries to solve. So, I've rejected the idea of an organized religion entirely. I'd prefer to believe in God without having to worry about all the extra tidbits that water down the point of religion.

I bring this up because I openly bring Matt's sexuality up in this one.

-Cake-chan (Protestant by upbringing, thanks.)

P.S. I'd also like to state that I'm a total Daddy's Girl, so forgive me if I seem biased towards mothers. (That's what Matt is here for- he's the break from all the Mama-hate.) As I write this, I listen to John Lennon's _Beautiful Boy_. –nods- And Paul McCartney's _Dance Tonight_.  
--------------------------------------------------------

"_Nate."_

_I rubbed my eyes and rolled back over, nestling into my covers, determined to stay in bed a bit more. I felt fingers brush against my cheek, curling the hair of my bangs tentatively around an idle pinky. Always cautious, for I was a very jittery boy. A very… nervous boy._

"_Daddy…" I murmured._

_There was more silence until finally I felt whoever it was get more impatient. "Nate. How can you speak of your father, but not speak a word to me? Do you really…"_

_I heard my mother, who was on the brink of tears by that point. "You really hate me, don't you? I'm sorry… I know you were always closer to your father, but he's gone now. Now all you have is Mommy."_

_I curled back up, eager to get her voice away. I couldn't control anything. I couldn't control that Daddy was dead, and I certainly couldn't control this feeling of barren emptiness that refused to let up._

"_Nate. You can say that, right? You can say Mommy? Come on, baby, please, just say it once. Just say it once and I'll leave you alone for a while. Say it for Mommy, please."_

_I groaned and curled up tighter and until I heard my mother's footsteps plod back to the hallway. Out of my room. I loosened up and pulled Daddy's police car from behind my pillow. Still wrapped up in covers, I flipped the switch and stared at the colours. They flashed, blue and red, over and over again. Forever and ever until the batteries would need to be changed._

_I stared at it emotionlessly. Was I supposed to feel this empty? Was I supposed to feel this unaffected? I felt like hugging my mother, but I didn't. I never did. Never spoke to her. Would never speak to her. She wasn't Daddy. She never would be Daddy._

_It had been one week since Daddy had died. I heard the phone ring and heard my mother pick up the phone. She sounded surprised at first, but then her voice became calm. Then, it became filled with something else I couldn't put a finger on. She was crying, that much I could tell, but… she didn't sound sad. Was she happy? Happy people cried, too?_

_After about ten minutes, she walked back into my room and I could feel her get into bed with me. My mother did this all the time. Even though she knew I hated being touched so much, she liked to cuddle to the extreme amount. _

_She unfolded the covers a bit and discovered the toy flashing, then she turned it off and rolled me over so I could face her. She was crying, but she was smiling. I tried to scoot away from her, but she hugged me tighter, causing me to feel extremely uncomfortable._

"_Nate, it's about Daddy. The detective he was working on the case with previously… He caught your father's killers. They're in jail now. Isn't that wonderful news? So please, please try to learn how to talk to me. Please try to let me take Daddy's place. It would mean so much to Mommy…"_

_I finally gave a yelp and she immediately let go, knowing that was the sign for her to drop me, even if it shouldn't have reached that point to begin with. I scooted over towards the wall, as far away from her as I could. I glanced back at her with a cold expression on my face and I saw her face crumple._

"_Nate. Nate, how am I supposed to deal with you? Why…"She stood up, holding her hands up as if she were a criminal surrendering after a long, drawn-out car chase. I looked back at the wall and I heard her murmur something about lunch. _

_About an hour later, she stormed in and threw the covers off my bed, grabbing me by the wrist. "Nate, it's time for lunch. I've got to get you out of this depression! From now on, you have to listen to what Mommy says. I'm doing this for your own good. You have to try and cope with Mommy taking care of you from now on."_

_I struggled, but she just gripped tighter. "Nate! Come on! It's time for lunch! I made your favorite; the least you could do would be to eat it! You haven't eaten in a week, save for a scrap or two from a salad I had lying around!"_

_The more I struggled, the closer she held me to her chest, which made me more uncomfortable. I whined a bit and I could tell it broke her heart to see me like this. "Nate, please! Please, just eat something. You need to eat something or else Mommy can't help you!"_

_She had to tie me to a chair, practically. After much trial and error, she found that she had to blend my grilled cheese sandwich up in the blender and feed me it through a straw. I refused, but she insisted. It tasted like watered down cheese and bread and gross, but she made me drink it._

_For about a week, she was forced to blend up my food and force feed it to me in a cup. Hot dogs, eggs and hash browns, salads, pasta. She had to blend all of it up or else I wouldn't eat it. I couldn't stomach it. Solids made me vomit, but the blended food made me feel like I couldn't stomach it; however, it still stayed inside._

_She received a check in the mail and said it was from the detective. With some of it, she bought me new rain boots and the first place we went to after Daddy died was the park. On a rainy day, no less._

_I sat on the swings in a raincoat, getting chilled to the bone, while my mother watched me, doing nothing. Because there was nothing she could do. All I did was stare at the flashing red and blue lights of the toy Daddy gave me. When we got back home afterwards, she placed the car at the top of the closet, where I couldn't reach it. I spent the rest of the day groaning and holding myself while sulking in bed._

_Eventually, she bought me board games. I always won, but she would still play them with me. I suppose I had fun, but she wasn't Daddy. We weren't able to sit down every Thursday night and play board games as a family. Eventually, I became re-attached to a stuffed rabbit I had been attached to as a baby. _

_Eventually, the rabbit took the place of Daddy at the table every Thursday night. I spoke to the rabbit, but not to my mother. I had started stomaching solid foods again and my mother was finally sick of it. Sick of watching me talk to the bunny rather than her._

_Six months before I arrived at Wammy's House, she put the rabbit at the top of the closet, too. I stopped stomaching solid foods again until she gave me back Daddy's car. I guess she gave it back because it helped me cope and because I never spoke to the car. _

_A month later, my mother was cuddling with me again, though I was willing this time. I was curling her blonde hair around my finger, lying on her bosom and looking at her cheeks. They were flushed, because she was happy, but she had a secret she was keeping from me. That was the only time her cheeks became flushed._

"_Nate… You aren't happy, are you?"_

_I paused and stared at her. I stared right into her eyes and she saw all she needed. Immediately, tears started pricking at the corners of her eyes and I lifted my fingers up. Pulled at her bottom eyelids to free the tears so I could wipe them away. _

"_I'm sorry, baby. Mommy tried to make you happy, but I'm not Daddy. I can't deal with you anymore. I wish I didn't have to, but you aren't speaking to me. Do you blame me? Is it because I told Daddy to work more hours so I could bond with you while he was away? Is that why you won't speak to me? You'll be happier somewhere else… won't you?"_

_There was something dreadfully wrong with this- something she was bringing up made me very uncomfortable. She couldn't deal with me? She tried? She acted as if she was leaving. I didn't want her to leave. I instinctively hugged her tighter and buried my face in the crook of her neck. I would change, I would change. I would answer her first thing in the morning. It would make her so happy. She would cry out of happiness and I would hug her and everything would be good. I would get over Daddy. She would replace him and everything would be better. I wouldn't be happy anywhere else. As long as Mommy was with me, I would be alright. I would be happy._

_The next day, a man showed up and took me away. I was stuck in an inner-city orphanage for five months until they realized I wasn't an invalid and shipped me off to England._

-------------------------------

Mello was pissed off. Seriously pissed off. Not only had Matt not been at the room before he and L went for cake, but he wasn't here now, either. He missed him already. After those _kisses_, he couldn't seem to keep himself from wanting to do it again. Oh well. He wanted to talk to his friend, too. He had been hoping to bring Matt along with him with L, since he knew Matt liked cake almost as much as crisps. And HobNobs. Matt just _loved_ HobNobs. And Maltesers, even if he wasn't too big on chocolate.

Well, Mello wanted Matt there with him, which probably accounted for him being so depressed. More-so about that than that whole Near business. However, he still wasn't waiting for him. Where on earth was Matt?

He only had to check his room, and that would be it. To his surprise, he found Near there instead. Near was sitting on the floor playing with that damn toy car of his.

"Near. What are you doing here?"

"It's about Matt. I thought you'd like to know that he's at the infirmary."

Mello's breath quickened and he rushed forward, grabbing the younger boy by the collar of his shirt. "What did you say!? You're lying!" He shook him a bit until Near pulled free from his grip.

"No, I saw it."

Mello felt something bad happening. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had a feeling. He managed to snarl out a quick, "Saw what?" before turning around to keep himself from attacking Near again.

"Some of the older boys got a hold of him and broke his Game Boy. They also pushed him down in the dirt."

Mello whirled around and leaned close to Near's face, giving him a vicious look. "Which boys?"

Near scooted back. It was scary to see Mello look that angry. He'd never seen Mello look that angry. Ever. Not even when he was staring him down as they made each biting comment right after the other.

"C-Corbin and Dennis. The twins. I think they were just in a bad mood, though. You shouldn't do anything…" Mello dashed out of the room, murder in his eyes. The twins wouldn't be a problem. They were only three years older than him and neither of them liked conflict. "… rash…" Near trailed off and pondered whether he should go after him. There was no telling what Mello would be able to do to them.

-----------------------------

"I still don't think you got it right, Corbin. If you want to cause it to splatter in that direction, you have to turn the brush this way. There's lots of techniques for it. It all depends on your own personal tastes and how big or messy you want it."

Linda grabbed Corbin's hand and turned it to the side a bit so that the splatter would begin at the top of the canvas and fly downward at a slight angle. Dennis burst out laughing and pointed at his brother's face. "Look at you! You're terrible at this, you know!?"

Corbin's face turned red and glared. "Just remember, when you call me terrible it's like you're looking in a mirror, wankface!"

""Glassback!"

"Sconner!"

"Oh yeah, you would know! You keep staring at it every time I try to use the toilet!"

Linda chimed in. "Both of you wee at the same time? Wow, you two go everywhere together…"

Both brothers instantly stopped, opened their mouths and then closed them again. This made Linda laugh.

Mello slammed the door open. Of course the twins would be in the art room. They totally had the hots for Linda. He stomped over to them and pushed Linda out of the way, pouncing on Corbin. "You bastard! You tell me why you did that to Matt right now or I'll rip your bloody throat out!"

Linda winced as she landed on her bum and Dennis went to help her. "You okay?"

Linda just glared at him. Sure she wasn't very close with Matt anymore, but that didn't mean she didn't care about him. He followed her around for two years and they were friends. Corbin and Dennis were hardly her friends yet. They just wanted up her skirt.

"What's this about doing something to Matt?"

Dennis blushed a bit, glancing back at his brother and getting up. There was no way he'd tell her that. She'd hate him if she knew why. So, he avoided the question. Corbin yelled and Mello wrapped his hands around his throat, squeezing hard and pushing on his windpipe.

"What's that!? I didn't hear you!"

Dennis grabbed Mello roughly and kicked him onto the ground. "Hey! Leave Corbin alone, you little twat!" Linda stood up and glared at them. The nerve of them! She swore she would become a lesbian in the future. Boys were just too troublesome.

Mello wound up hitting the edge of a table on the way down and he yelped in pain. Linda gasped and ran over to him, but Corbin had stood up by this point and was on top of Mello.

"What gives you the gall to choke me over a little bullying!? Is it because it involves your little boyfriend?" His voice changed to one more mockingly cruel than angry. "Are you mad that you can't kiss his pretty little face anymore with a black eye? Yeah, all the younger children are talking about how you two go up that tree to kiss. Well, is that true, you little arsebandit!?" He punched Mello in the face and Linda took a step back in horror. She knew that fights were bloody, but when it was right in front of her…

Mello spit out a tooth. It was alright, the tooth was a baby and was already loose. He spit it up and it landed on Corbin's tongue and he accidentally swallowed it. "I kissed him _once_. _On the cheek_, you creep! You've gone farther with Dennis!"

Corbin's eye twitched and he looked as if he was about to vomit. He had just swallowed an effing _tooth_! Dennis kicked Mello in the face. "I dare you to say that again, poof!"

Mello was throbbing with pain, but he still cocked a smile. "I'll bet you two suck each other off because you can't get girlfriends." Corbin and Dennis glared and Dennis kicked him again.

"Yeah, well you'll be doing more than that with your little boyfriend in a few years!"

"Youdidn'tdenyit."

The three boys looked over at Linda, who looked mad and slightly amused. Dennis blushed profusely. "W-Wot?"

Linda sneered at them, sticking her tongue out. "He said you two suck each other off. You never denied it. So is it true, then?"

Dennis's mouth opened and he walked over to Linda. "W-Wot?? You know I like girls, right??" Linda took another step back.

"Yeah, but this girl's too good for a creep like you! Dennis, you arsehole! How could you give Matt a black eye just because you think he's gay!? My uncle's gay! Jerk!"

Corbin and Dennis exchanged glances, knowing that there was no way they'd have a chance with her now. Corbin's eyes narrowed. "This is all your fault, Mello!" He hit him in the face again, and Mello coughed up a little bit of blood. There was a long cut over his eye and a bruise on his forehead. His nose looked a bit swollen. However, he still managed to hiss out another few words.

"Matt's my friend, and I'll stick up for him, even if it means I have to take a beating from creeps like you."

Near walked in, and his eyes widened a bit at the sight of the blood. Linda ran over. "Near! Thank God! Go and get Roger!"

Near shook his head. "I already told L."

Dennis and Corbin muttered curses and fumbled towards the door. L was going to come and see them beating up younger kids! There was no way they'd become his successors if he saw how violent they got.

"Don't think this is the last you'll hear from us, you little shits!"

A thin hand fell onto Corbin's head. "Did I just hear you call them little shits, Corbin?" Corbin nearly fell over and L stepped into the room. "Honestly, you two. I expected better of you. I hear that you not only pushed Matt down and broke his Game Boy- which his mum gave him, by the way-, but I hear you both are in a fight with Mello. Come on then." He grabbed their wrists none-too-gently. "Let's see what the damage i-"

He dropped their wrists when he saw Mello, who was a complete mess, and walked a bit faster and bent down over him. Gingerly wiping most of the blood away from Mello's face, he mumbled something under his breath.

"Linda, could you watch those two? Near, I want you to go to the infirmary and get Miss Margaret. Right now." Near left the room silently and Linda grabbed the twins' hands and forced them into a pair of seats. L stood up and went to the sink, getting a few paper towels and getting them damp.

"Why did you two do this?"

"H-He jumped on me and started strangling me! It was self-defense!"

L hummed to himself a bit, sounding annoyed and yet oddly calm. He spoke to them in singsong. "Self-defense ends after your opponent is on the ground, boys. This goes way beyond it." His voice became more serious.

"Now why did you do this to Mello?"

"I already-"

"Did he make you angry? Say anything that rubbed you the wrong way? He's got quite the wit. I wouldn't be surprised if he said something cruel to you two."

Dennis spoke up next. "He… He said we suck each other off because we can't get girlfriends."

"Ah. So he made you mad." He was calmly wiping Mello up and putting pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding. "Mello…"

Mello groaned a bit, utterly weak by now.

"Mello, why did you attack Corbin?"

"They… Matt…"

L glanced up and looked at the twins. "This is all because you hurt Matt? Why did you hurt Matt?"

They were both silent, and eventually L reassured them that he wouldn't get mad or hold it against them. When they explained their reason he just continued with tending to Mello, seemingly un-angry.

Miss Margaret came in and took it from there. Matt was close behind her, and he watched her tend to Mello, locking the process in his memory. When he got older, he wanted to take care of Mello's wounds. As a thank you, of sorts.

--------------------------------

"Linda, you may go."

Linda gave the twins a shove and went over to console Matt for what had happened just thirty minutes before all this started. "I can't believe I wanted to be their friends! They're such creeps!"

L sat down in front of the twins and looked them hard in the eye, his own eyes cold and biting.

"You two. I want you both to know that what you did against Matt is considered a hate crime. You can be arrested for it. However, you two are both young, so I won't hold it against you. However, Roger may see things differently. I'm taking you both to him. You're to accept his punishment, no matter how ludicrous it may be."

They nodded and said their 'yes sir's and 'we'll never do it again's and L grabbed them and walked them over to Roger's office.

----------------------------

_Near sat in the room, wondering what he should do. He should get help, because Mello might hurt them. But… What if they hurt Mello?? There were two of them and they were at least five years older than himself, at least. His throat closed up and he felt dizzy. As he stood up, he looked out into the hallway and saw L walk by. _

_He scrambled out of the room and grabbed L by the sleeve. "L! It's Mello! I… I…"_

_L looked down at him, worried by how distressed Near was. "Near…? What's wrong? What happened to Mello?"_

"_I… He found out about Matt because I told him and now he's going to go beat up the twins." Tears began to well up in Near's eyes and his grip on L's sleeve tightened. "I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd go attack them. What if they hurt him? I…"_

_L put a hand on Near's head and bent down, wiping away Near's tears with one hand. "It's alright, Near. At least you told me the truth. Come on, why don't we go find them, too? Where do you think Dennis and Corbin would be?"_

_Tears kept falling and Near started wiping them away as well. "I… don't know. I don't know them that well… I know… they both kind of like Linda…"_

"_Where does Linda usually go?"_

"… _The art room…"_

"_Good idea. Let's try there first. Let me go tell Roger about this first. You go on ahead."_

_Near nodded and started to walk off, but L grabbed his pinky. _

"_Near…"_

_Near turned around. _

"_If you do find Mello there, try to stay out of it. Mello sometimes becomes blind with rage. He might attack you on accident."_

_Near nodded and started down the hall._

--------------------------

Mello opened his eyes and looked around. There was light shining through the window and he saw some of the children playing out in the yard. He was in the infirmary. He recognized it by the sterile whiteness of the linoleum floor and bleach-stained walls. The rest of the institute had grubby walls from grubby little hands touching them all the time. The floors of the rest of the institute were grubby from muddy shoes gracing the floors every waking hour of the day.

"Mello. You're awake!"

Mello looked over and noticed that Matt was there. How long had he been there? Why could he hardly remember anything? All he remembered was coughing up blood after that shit, Corbin, punched him and he was here.

"Matt?"

Matt smiled. "It's a good thing L showed up, or your face would've gotten much more beaten than that!"

Mello sighed, woefully. "I'm sorry. I went to go beat them up for your sake and I got seven shades of shit beaten out of me. I really am useless, aren't I? I was just trying to defend you…"

Matt grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "It's okay! All that matters is that you tried to defend me. Thanks. It really means a lot to me!" He chuckled and then leaned in close, as if Miss Margaret was listening. "Besides, both of us can totally kick their arses later."

Mello laughed. "Totally! Say, do you know all the damage they did? Do I look okay?"

"You look great."

This didn't satisfy Mello's need to know, and he frowned. "No, seriously. What did the bastards do to me?"

Matt scratched the back of his head and smiled a bit, blushing. "Um… shouldn't I tell you when you're feeling better?"

"I'm feeling fine, now just tell me!"

"Um… okay… Well… When you hit the table on the way down, you bruised a kidney. Then, Dennis kicked you and bruised your ribs a bit. Corbin jumped you and punched you in the face. So, you're missing a tooth- Linda says you spit it into Corbin's mouth and he swallowed it on accident, is that true!?"

Mello feigned interest. "Completely."

Matt burst out laughing. "Serves him right; the wanker!"

"He hit me a few more times after that."

"Oh, right." Matt calmed down and continued with his overview. "Well, he also split the skin above your eyebrow; so, now you have a few stitches to match Near's. You've got a black eye to match mine and a bruise on your forehead. … Alsothewankersbrokeyournose."

"Wot?"

"They broke your nose!"

"Wot!? Don't tell me it's crooked! Matt!! Tell me I look alright! And be honest!"

"You do. They just smushed it. So, it's still normal looking. It just needs to heal."

"You're not lying?"

"Well, it's swollen and you look like you have a purple knot on your face."

"Wot!?"

Matt poked his swollen nose. "Yes, you have one right there. It's swollen and stuff, but they said the swelling should go down in a few days."

"A few days!? I'm going to look like this for _a few days_!?"

Matt shrugged. "It's not that bad."

Mello muttered bitterly. "And all because they thought you were gay. Honestly, that's absurd! You? Gay? Haha! That's just ridiculous…"

Matt laughed with him, but it was a bit more strained and he was wringing his shirt between his hands. Mello glanced over at him, noticed his nervousness and made a face. "It's not true, is it?"

Matt smiled. "Of course not."

His answer didn't satisfy Mello, and he glanced away. "So, it's true then?"  
Matt, afraid Mello would never speak to him again if he knew, waved his hands around in the air. "It's not! It's not!" Mello just looked at him, giving him a sad and disappointed look. Matt took it to mean he didn't believe him and grew very quiet, looking down at the end of his shirt, which he was gripping tightly, until. "You're disappointed in me, aren't you? Could you… Could you just promise me you'll still talk to me?"

"Why would I stop talking to you because you lied?"

Matt looked up, completely stunned. "Wh-What?"

"I'm only disappointed that you'd lie about it. I don't care if you're gay or not."

Matt's face brightened up and he gripped his shirt tighter until his knuckles turned white. "You really don't care?" Mello rolled his eyes. He didn't see what the big deal about this was. Then again, he hadn't grown up where Matt had grown up. His first experience with discrimination was his previous fight over Matt's honor with the twins. So, he didn't understand why Matt was so relieved.

Matt stood up and practically jumped on Mello, squeezing him so hard that Mello felt as if his ribs were on fire. "M-Matt… My ribs are hurting. You're hurting me…"

Matt let go almost immediately, turning bright red and sitting back in the chair beside Mello's bed. "S-Sorry… " He wiped a tear from his eye and Mello's cheeks became tinged with pink. He reckoned that was the first time someone had actually _hugged_ him. Sure, he'd been hugged before by his parents, but they were empty. Sure, he had hugged Matt before, but he'd never actually received a hug before. It felt nice and warm.

He gave a little smile in Matt's direction, then leaned in close. "Okay, so what's the plan with Corbin and Dennis?"

Matt scoffed. "I'm definitely taking on Corbin. He's the bugger that broke mum's present to me."

"Speaking of your Game Boy- where is it? Maybe I can go to the library and figure out how to fix it for you…"

Matt began to sift through his pockets until finally he pulled out the Game Boy. The plastic cover over the screen had come off and there was what looked like a big tear down the center of the screen. Mello winced and Matt smiled sadly. "I don't think it's fixable…" When he turned it on, it worked fine, although the big tear wouldn't show any of the picture on it. The screen had been crushed under Corbin's heel and the pixels could show in that space.

Mello, instead of frowning and consoling his friend, began to seethe. "Wh-What makes them think they can do something like this!? That's not fair, Matt! Make them buy you a new one!"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "It's okay… I can go without it for a while… Er… until I'm old enough to get a job and buy a new one…"

Mello stood up on the bed and loomed over him, eyes blazing. "This isn't fair! Your mum gave you that and she's gone now! Stupid gits! I'll kill them!"

Matt tugged on Mello's pant-leg and turned red. "No… You don't have to. We can beat them up later… You just need to rest now and-"

"No! They think they can push you around over some stupid rumor! I won't allow you to keep getting hurt! The next time they try anything, you let me know and this time I'll be sure to make sure I get them apart from each other! Maybe then I can actually strangle him this time!!"

The door creaked open and they heard a soft, polite voice. It was hardly above a whisper. "Your loyalty to your friend is quite admirable, Mello, but violence won't solve this." Mello immediately fell over and bumped his head against the window before landing on the sill with his bum. He gave sort of a gasp and turned bright red, trying to pretend he hadn't just mentioned strangling one of the other children.

L plodded in and smiled at him. "Honestly, I can't really say that makes me think less of you. You're human, just like I am, and even I get angry sometimes…" Mello's breath caught in his throat. L didn't talk like this to Near. L never shared himself like this with Near. It was only him. Only him and Matt.

He felt a warm feeling begin to tingle all over his body, resonating in his chest until it finally spread down to his very toes. L sat down on the bed and gave him a little nod before chuckling. "You might want to make sure Miss Margaret doesn't hear you mention that, though. She'll send you to Roger immediately…"

Mello nodded and L placed his hand over Matt's. Over the one with the Game Boy in it. "Mail." Matt's eyes popped open wider, surprised he had been called by his real name.

"Y-Yes?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to replace that Game Boy with a new one for you. It seems only right, as those two should have been taught better than to behave like that…"

Matt shook his head. "I-It's not your fault they did it. R-Roger's the one who disciplines them. If anyone, it would be his fault."

There was a tense moment when Mello realized what Matt had just said. He gave sort of a little squeak, his head swiveling from Matt to L, back and forth. L stifled a laugh and put a hand over his mouth before standing up. "Y-Yes. You're absolutely right, Matt. Do you have a preference for the colour you want it to be?"

Mello looked back at Matt, and he knew that Matt took a breath he had been holding. "N-Not really… I guess I'd like a… Well… the regular indigo Game Boy… Like the one Mum gave me. That way I can get rid of this one and convince myself it never broke in the first place.…"

L smiled and nodded before leaving the infirmary. As soon as the door closed, Matt gave a sort-of high-pitched mewling sound. "D-Didja hear that?? Mello, he called me by my real name! He actually remembered my real name!" Mello looked back at Matt to see that he was staring at him, a look of childish wonder in his eyes. His cheeks were flushed and he was thoroughly flustered. "He- He a-actually rember- remembed- knew it!

Mello smiled and nodded, but inside he felt disappointed. Matt wasn't even in the running for L's position and L still knew his real name. So what did that mean? He didn't view Mello any differently? He wasn't any different from the other children? No different from even the twins? **The twins**?? The ones that pretended to care about grades, but were really only interested in getting up girls' skirts??

He tried to ignore the sinking feeling, but found he was unable to. Matt gave a goofy-looking grin and stood up. "Well, I'll see you around. Try and get some rest, okay? If you want you can borrow my- oh yeah… It's broken…" He shoved his Game Boy into the back pocket of his shorts and pulled up on his striped socks a bit. "Um… I'll keep checking up on you, if you want…"

"What do you mean? Aren't I allowed to leave?"

"No… Erm… Even though Roger believes L's word over Corbin's, Corbin said that you attacked without warning- which I sorta suppose is true from his perspective- and Roger saw bruises on Corbin's neck… So he wants to make sure you get some sort of punishment for resorting to violence…"

"He can't keep me in here!"

"Oh, yes, I _can_."

Mello's head turned to the door to see Roger standing there, pushing the glasses up to the brim of his nose and brushing at his receding hair with his fingers. "You see, Mello, even if you sustained most of the injuries, you also attacked without warning."

"I did not! I was doing it for Matt!"

"Matt was in the infirmary at the time. You did not lash out in self-defense, so it's still considered your fault."

"I was _protecting_ Matt's honor!"

"But _not_ his health, therefore, you are also in trouble."

"So what's my punishment!?"

"Detention."

"Wot!? There's detention here!? This is an orphanage!"

"For gifted youngsters. It doubles as an institute. Therefore, you'll have to come to my office and help file papers in my file cabinets for the next two days."

"That's completely-"

Matt rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

Roger turned to him and smiled. "It's alright, Matt. It was Mello's choice to act rashly, therefore it is his fault alone. You may go now."

Matt glanced over at Mello, caught his eye and waited for Mello to determine what he would do. Roger walked over to Matt and pulled on his arm. "You don't have to listen to what Mello tells you. Just go on to class. You're already late." Matt bit his bottom lip and ran out of the infirmary, slipping past Miss Margaret as she came in.

"Mister Ruvie! Wot a lovely su'prise! I haven' seen you here since you had me check that growth on your-"

Roger waved his hand a bit. He made a weird noise that told Mello and Miss Margaret that the discussions were over. Mello noted that Roger's face was tinged pink. Miss Margaret gave him a wicked grin. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, love. My late husband, God rest him, had one just like it and refused to let me see it. Now he's buried beside Mum and Dad and I'm stuck here."

Roger's face turned even more red and looked very much like he wanted to leave, but she kept drawling on.

Mello realized he must have dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes it was dark outside and Miss Margaret was in the office filing papers. He stood up and padded over to the door.

Miss Margaret heard him and turned her head, giving him a big smile and crooning, "Ah! Mello, you're awake! God bless you, I thought you'd be sleepin' all night. You had a visit from Matt, but seein' as how you was asleep, I sent him on his way. He looked mighty depressed. Go on, you may go. I won't tell Mr. Ruvie you've alighted away in the middle of the night. Just be sure you come back by sunrise. He's comin' to check up and make sure you're still here."

Mello waited a moment, unsure of what she was playing at. She was never this nice. At least, to anyone other than Matt. When he didn't hurry away and go, she wrinkled her nose and gave him a nasty look.

"Well, go on! I told Mattie I'd let you know he wanted to see you as soon as you woke up! He's probably still up waiting, God bless him. The poor dear, you know he's bound to get sick not sleepin' like this! Don't make the poor boy sick- _Get moving_!"

Mello jumped and flew out of the room. Miss Margaret never actually sounded mean, but the expressions she made and the chill in her voice made it seem as if she would kill you within a heartbeat if she wanted to.

------------------------------

Matt was sitting in his room, waiting for Mello to come when he heard a knock on the door. He smiled and bounced up, opening the door and giving him a big hug. However, when he did so, his arms hit something round rather than square and his victim flinched terribly.

He bounced back and realized that it was Near. Near looked horribly uncomfortable, and his eyes were glued to the ground, hands raised in front of him like a meercat, looking very much like they wanted to meld into his chest and protect him in some way.

Matt hissed, afraid of waking up the other occupants down the hall by speaking too loudly, "Augh! Sorry, Near! I didn't know it would be you! What are you doing here after curfew?? It's got to be at least 12 o'clock!"

Near took a while to recover, but after a moment he reached under his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper that looked as if it were folded into some sort of box. It had been coloured with crayons in a checkerboard pattern. At the bottom, that is. The rest of the sides were decorated to look like a die. A few sides had rocket ships on them and aliens. The top of it was open, making it look like a pencil holder.

"Wh-what is it?"

"It's a box for holding stuff in. L taught me some origami and I made one for you. Because of the twins…"

Matt gave a small smile and took it, flashing a big smile. "Thanks! But you really didn't have to… After all, Mello already-"

"Don't tell Mello I gave it to you."

"What? Why?"

"He'll rip it up."

"What-" He cut it off and decided not to ask questions. Near was probably right- Mello hated the younger boy with a passion and probably wouldn't mind destroying something he made, even if it was a present.

Near padded off down the halls, not even making a sound, ducked behind the corner and was gone. From the other corner, Matt heard what sounded like barefeet. Running on the balls of the feet so as to be light-of-step. That was Mello's run.

Sure enough, a few seconds later Matt could see that familiar blonde bob come running out from behind the corner. Mello took one look at the door, saw Matt was there, and waved.

When Mello was inside, he eyed the origami box suspiciously. "What's _that_? It looks like a six year old drew it."

Matt smiled. "I made it while waiting for you."

Mello narrowed his eyes. "Let me see it…" Matt handed it to him and he went over it as if looking at a coded letter. He was scrutinizing it, Matt knew it. After a moment, Mello looked around the room. "Where're the supplies?"

"Come again?"

"The supplies. Where are the crayons you used to colour it with?"

"I put them away…"

He must not have sounded convincing, because Mello started looking around the room. "What about the paper and the scissors? Can you get them out? I wanna make one."

Matt's face turned red. He wasn't a crafty person. The last time he used crayons, he was drawing a picture for Linda a few days ago. He certainly didn't get them from his own room, as he never thought much of them.

He looked down and Mello got his attention with a snap of his fingers and a quick, abrupt, "Oi!" Matt looked up and Mello's eyes narrowed even more. "You didn't make this… did you?"

Matt shook his head. "Linda did."

"Liar. If she really had you would have told me that to begin with. Who made it?" He gave an impish smile. "Was it Near?"

Matt sighed. There was no use hiding it now. Mello would get it out of him, even if he didn't say anything. "Yes. Because I was attacked by those bullies."

Mello's face hardened for a moment and he looked at the box with disgust. "He wasn't there."

"Yes he was. He saw them push me down."

"But he didn't fight for you, did he!? He didn't risk anything, did he!? He didn't get a broken nose for you, **did he**!? No! He didn't! He's too much of poof! …No offense."

Matt began wringing at his shirt again. "None taken," he mumbled. "But… he did get L…"

"He could have fought them, you know! But he didn't! Because he's too chicken to do anything!"

"He's only seven…"

Mello ripped it up. "I don't care! He doesn't deserve to try and comfort you like this! You shouldn't let people like him take pity on you!"

Matt frowned. "Hey… That wasn't very nice… I was going to use that to store pencils…"

"Not anymore." Mello threw the pieces into the trashcan and sat down on the bed. Matt's bottom lip quivered, but he said nothing. Mello glanced over, noticed this, and felt bad again. "I'm sorry."

Matt refused to admit he had been hurt. Instead, he made his voice more angry, changed his expression into something a bit more threatening, and lowered his voice to heighten the intensity of that "anger". "You know, just because you hate Near, it doesn't give you a right to interfere with him trying to give me a gift. I thought it was very nice, but you'd rather him have fought those bullies."

Mello frowned. "Yeah? He should've gotten detention, too. This just proves he's not as loyal of a friend as I am."

Matt shifted uncomfortably and curled up a bit. "Well, _I _prefer Near's method more than yours. I'd rather you had made something to cheer me up instead of throwing yourself into the fray mindlessly like that. You could have hurt someone. _You_ could have gotten hurt more than you did."

Mello gave a pout and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "So says the person that wanted to beat them up earlier."

"I do, but I didn't want _you_ to. I didn't want you to get hurt."

Mello scoffed and gave him an indignant look. "Well, **sorry** for caring about my friends!"

Matt leaned against the wall and looked at the trashcan. He sort of liked how the aliens had looked. After a while he glanced back at Mello. Mello looked very sour and very displeased with himself. Matt threw caution to the wind and crept over, patting Mello on the back.

"It's okay. I'm still glad you did_ something_."

Mello grinned a bit and gave him a hug. Matt hugged him back and for a while neither one of them moved. Mello swore Matt had fallen asleep, and he couldn't blame him. However, Matt soon yawned and crept back to his pillows. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know. I can't go to sleep because I have to be back at the infirmary by sunrise…"

Matt smirked. "We could always sneak around and raid the girls' panty drawers…"

Mello frowned. "Why would you want to get a girl's knickers?"

Matt's eyes bugged out. "You've never been on a panty raid, have you?"

"A- A **what**?"

"It's where you sneak into a girl's room and steal some of her knickers."

"**WHY?**"

Mello looked thoroughly disgusted and excited about it at the same time. Matt shrugged. "I dunno. It's something to do… But we can't raid the drawers when there's only, like, three pairs in there, though. Some of the girls might not have many pairs to begin with."

"Wow, that's honorable of you… Why can't you just steal them all?"

"Because you don't want them to know right away that something's gone! You'll get caught too easily."

Mello shrugged. "I already have detention. It's not like it can get much worse than that…"

Matt frowned a bit. He sort of didn't want to have a bunch of panties lying around. If anyone found them, they'd wonder why the hell he had so many panties and that probably wouldn't help the rumors circulating that he was gay at all. It might make them twist into him being a transient or something…

Mello sighed. "Alright… We'll only steal a few. Oh, and can I ask one thing?"

"What is it?"

"If we raid some of the older girls and find thongs, can I keep those?"

Matt made a face. "Ew. Mello, that's gross…"


	10. Another Brick in the Wall

_So, I started school recently. It's pretty hectic, but fun. I like all my classes and my History teacher is the shit. I thought he'd be the worst (I ended up doodling a picture of Mello with the mesh thong on his head on my History syllabus, by the way), but he's actually the only one that can actually keep my attention during the entire class. In all the others I just sort of doze off. I love my Human Relations teacher, too. She's simply amazing. Her name is Velma Walker and she's a twin. Isn't that cool?_

_- Cake-chan_

_P.S. I put some people I know in real life into the story. You all probably won't even notice who they are. –snickers- _

_P. P. S. Ah yes, and at the beginning of the story, I mentioned that Matt was eight. Actually, he should also be nine, since he's only a week or two younger than Mello._

_P. P. P. S. I had to take a gander at the workings of the youth courts in the UK, just to make sure I was getting it right. To anyone who lives in the UK:  
Feel free to scold me if I got it wrong. _

_---------------------------------------_

"Your little stunt has caused an uproar among the other children. I'm afraid that I have to give you four days of detention each. Matt, you only have four days, but Mello- You have six days of detention. Matt, Mello, sort these papers into their proper cabinets alphabetically. I have to leave now and go console Posie. Don't even think about leaving."

He shut the door and started down the hall. Matt glanced at Mello, who was bright red from their little stunt, still out of breath. Matt frowned. "You weren't supposed to try and steal them _off_ the girl, Mello."

"Well, what else were we supposed to steal? Her panty drawer was full of grass!"

Matt tried not to smile and went to the desk. That hadn't been ordinary lawn grass, and if the number of older girls skipping class had anything to do with it, he figured that Posie was dealing.

After a long moment, Mello sat down on the ground. "Um… just to let you know… When I reached down to grab her panties…"

Matt glanced at him. He figured he knew where Mello was going with this. "Well, I mean… you're nine now. Some kids hit puberty-"

"Don't you think it's weird that she would only wear one pair of panties? Why do you think she wears shorts under her skirts all the time?"

"I dunno, Mello. Why?"

Mello barely whispered it. "She doesn't wear panties."

Matt's eye twitched and he turned bright red. "Wait… so… did you…?" Mello nodded and Matt gasped. "What was it like!?"

Mello gave him a look of utter disgust. "Ew! Don't be gross! I was going for the waistband, so I hit her bellybutton! Anyways… I'm just glad Roger didn't search us." He then pulled out a black thong with a mesh crotch, put it on his head and began to file papers. Matt looked down, feeling bad. Mello had also stolen a pair with cherries on them from Linda's drawer. He himself had taken a pair of striped panties from one of the other girl's drawers. She was a redhead like him, but he forgot what her name was. All he knew was that she hung out with a brunette that was allergic to dairy.

-----------------------------------

_Mello giggled and followed Matt down the hall after Matt had snagged a pair of striped knickers from that redheaded girl he sometimes spoke to. "I want to raid Linda's drawer!"_

_Matt glared. "No! That's mean."_

"_She's annoying, come on! Pleeease??"_

_Matt sighed. There was really no point in arguing with Mello. He would do it anyways. "Fine. But only one pair."_

_After that successful raid, in which they snagged a pair of Linda's panties that had cherries on them, as they made their way down the hall, it became more and more obvious to Matt that there ought to have been an adult patrolling the hallways after this hour. He checked his Power Rangers wristwatch and saw that it was about midnight. Who's turn was-- Oh yes. Miss Margaret. However, most nights Miss Margaret stayed in the infirmary drinking. He knew this because she usually had hangovers in the morning. _

_A sharp jab in the shoulder blade got his attention. When he whirled around, Mello was staring at him, eagerly looking from L's room to Matt's face. "Matt- Hey! Hey Matt! Can we filch Near's undies!? Pleeease!?" Matt just stared at him, giving him a look._

"_And __**what**__ do you intend to do with Near's undertrousers?"_

"_What do you mean what!? To say we stole them- __**DUH**__! Also…I wanted to throw them into the pond outside of the school grounds so that it gets all mildew-y and gross…"_

_Matt just rolled his eyes. "Mello, you know L never sleeps…" After a moment, he pointed to the door nearest to Mello's left arm, eager to change the subject. "Come on! I hear Rasa wears thongs."_

_Mello's eyes lit up and he looked at the door. The lights weren't on. There was a chance they were all asleep. He glanced over at Matt expectantly. Matt knew everything about the institute. He was a textbook. After all, he'd been here longer than anyone else had… Except for maybe the grown-ups._

"_Rasa's roommate is Alena. She doesn't speak English yet, so she stays up late studying the language. But, today's a school night, so chances are she's asleep by now…"_

"_How high of a chance?"_

"_Pretty high. Have you seen her face? She's gorgeous! And no baggies under her eyes, so I'd say she gets enough sleep..."_

_Mello grinned and opened the door a crack. "That's why I like having you around, Matt."_

"_Thanks, Micky."_

_Mello shot him a dirty look and crept inside. "Don't call me that. It's _Mello_," he hissed. Matt just stuck his tongue out at the blonde when his head was turned. The second the two were inside, there was the sound of hurried footsteps on the tiles outside. Mello gave sort of a little yelping sound, but Matt shoved his hand over his friend's mouth. They both froze, backs against the wall, until the footsteps subsided. Matt could have sworn he caught the lyrics of a rather dirty rap song spoken in a mumble. Matt crept to the door and peeked his head out in time to see Roger turning the corner. He suppressed a giggle._

_When he spun around, Mello was already to the drawers and pulling out a black thong, the crotch a fine mesh material. Matt's eyelid twitched as Mello stretched at it a bit, grinning maniacally. There was something in Mello's eyes that told Matt he was eager to grow up soon so that the thong would fit him. _

_He just rolled his eyes and crept over to the sleeping girls. He watched their eyelids, their chests rising. Any sign of irregular breathing and they'd be high-tailing it out of the room._

_Mello grabbed on Matt's sleeve and pulled him out into the hallway. They hit a solid form. When Mello looked up, his face paled and he started to spin around, trying to bump over Matt to get back in the room._

_A soft hand gently pulled on Mello's collar. "Mello…"_

_Matt gasped. "L!?"_

_L looked at them and smiled. "I see you boys are up to your usual antics… Mr. Wammy's always talking about the trouble you two get into…"_

_Mello and Matt looked at each other. Mello then put his head down and shoved the underpants behind his back. "A-Are we in trouble?"_

"_Actually, I want you two to do me a favor."_

_-------------------_

_Mello crept into Posie's room. "I didn't know L was into girls' panties like that…"_

_Matt frowned. "What? You think he prefers boys?"_

"_No, it's just- he doesn't seem like the type to collect panties from little girls…"_

"_Mello, they're fourteen."_

"_So!? L's like what- nineteen by now!?"_

"_Will you quiet down?" Matt hissed into Mello's ear, but Mello ignored it._

"_L said she sleeps like a rock. Now then…"_

_Matt glanced over at the bed and noticed something- Posie's best friend, Regina, was sleeping in the same room. That was odd, seeing as how Regina and Posie were both fourteen and had their own rooms… While Matt was pondering this, Mello crept to the drawers and opened it. "Whaaaat? All that's in here is a bunch of grass!"_

_Sure enough, when Matt looked, there were just rows and rows of bags of grass. But it wasn't normal grass, and Matt had seen enough to know it was more profitable than lawn grass. It was __**weed**__. So that was why L wanted them to get him a pair? He suspected Posie was hiding something? Well, that certainly explained why so many of the older kids were skipping class. And why so many of the regular school kids down the street were skipping class, too._

_Was that also why Posie had been missing for three straight hours every day for the past three weeks? Where were they growing all of it? Were the older boys involved as well?_

_He glanced over to tell Mello they needed to go report it to L, but Mello was by Posie's bed. "M-Mello!? __**What are you doing**__!?"_

_Mello's hand was reaching up Posie's nightgown. It was a well known fact Posie slept above the covers, but just where was Mello's hand going!?_

_Mello glared at him. "L said he wanted a pair of Posie's panties, and she's got none in her drawer. So, we should try and-" His eyes widened and he immediately stopped reaching his hand up her nightgown. She stirred and her eyelids fluttered open. _

"_What the-" She screamed and Mello shot back toward Matt, knocking him into the drawer and causing the drawer to close with a loud crash._

_Regina sat up abruptly and saw the two boys. "What- __**What are you little brats doing in here**__!?"_

_Posie snatched up her covers and pointed at Mello. "That one had his hand up my nightgown!"_

_Regina stood up and said a dirty word before starting after them. Mello pushed Matt out the door and was about to follow him when he noticed that Matt had become rooted to the spot. What was-_

_That's when they saw him standing there, red in the face and absolutely livid._

Roger.

"_**WHAT DO YOU BOYS THINK YOU ARE DOING**__?"_

_-------------------------_

The handle to the door moved and Matt snagged the thong off of Mello's head, stuffing it down his shirt. L walked in and smiled at them. It was rather sheepish, but he looked as if he had everything under control.

"So, did you boys do what I asked you to?"

Mello opened his mouth, but Matt stuffed the thong into his mouth. "Posie's got a bunch of weed in her drawer!"

L snapped his fingers and Mello took the thong out of his mouth, spitting a bit and glaring at Matt, hoping the thong hadn't been worn without being washed. L looked up at the ceiling, placing a finger against the corner of his mouth. "I thought so… To be honest, I had heard from Mr. Wammy that some people had been cutting classes… And I heard that some of the schools nearby had found marijuana in possession of some of their older students, so I was worried that something might've… That's one of the main reasons why I came back in the first place… Of course, there were many reasons, but I think that one was a big one… Aside from… And then of course there's always…"

The boys stared at him as he began to trail off, muttering to himself. Mello looked slightly hopeful.

"Does this mean I don't have detention anymore?"

"Oh. You still do for getting into that fight with Corbin and Dennis, and I'm sure I can cut Matt's detention… But… I never asked you to stick your hand up Posie's nightgown, so I'm afraid I can't cut your detention down a bit. You should be glad. That's only a four day extension. By all accounts, I would have given you a week's worth for sticking your hand up her skirt. And… I think I heard Roger say that you'd be stuck in the infirmary as long as you had detention as punishment for sneaking out with Matt in the middle of the night…"

Matt and Mello gave him a crestfallen look, and L eyed Mello oddly. "Why were you doing that to Posie in the first place?"

"You said you wanted a pair of her panties, and since she had none in her drawer… I…" He suddenly realized how idiotic of an idea it had been. Was he really that eager to impress L?

Roger walked in and thrust Regina into the room. "Two days detention for sneaking into your friend's room. Have fun filing papers with the other two." L put a hand up and Regina shot a nasty look at Matt and Mello, giving them a dirty hand gesture when Roger wasn't looking.

"Roger, actually, I was wondering if you could go search Posie's drawers…"

"Why!? That's an invasion of privacy!" L and Roger both turned to see Regina covering her mouth after her little outburst. She shifted uncomfortably and Matt pointed at her.

"You're helping her sell weed, aren't you!?"

Roger looked at L aghast, wondering what the hell was going on. When he turned his eyes back to Regina she was starting towards Matt with her hands out like she was about to knock him in the jaw. L grabbed her shoulder and smiled. "I assume that would be a yes, Regina? Would you rather confess and hopefully receive a lighter punishment-" He gave Roger a domineering look. "-for your honesty? I'm sure Roger would be willing to lighten it if you confess." He once again gave Roger a look that at the very least told him to go along with it.

Roger looked indignant, before nodding. Regina at once denied it, but when L left saying he would be happy to go look on his own, she spilled the beans. Roger shot out of the room and appeared at the door just as fast with Posie looking shaken and very cold. Matt handed her the striped panties and she glared at Mello, knowing he had revealed her secret.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest for tomorrow. L, I'll be down the hall in my room. I'm sure you're capable of handing out suitable punishments."

He gave them a look that seemed to say he trusted L, but they all knew it was just because he was dead tired and didn't want to bother with enforcing the rules. L turned to Posie and Regina. "You, girls, should be glad I'm more lenient. However, I'm afraid you'll still have to go to the police station at sunrise. Until then, you should stay in here and help file papers."

He turned to Matt and smiled at him. "Matt, you may go. I'm very pleased with how well you've acted." Mello glared.

"B-But he-! He was still up past curfew with me! That's unfair!" Regina and Posie were practically stuttering, unable to believe the little brat wasn't getting punished. It was a well known fact that all the adults at the facility favored Matt above all the other children. It made them mad. Mello just repeated what they said, refusing to believe L would be so cruel and let Matt off for helping him out but not himself.

"Yes, but he was able to recognize the grass as weed, as I knew he would. You, however, would have overlooked it."

"So you give him special treatment because he knows something I don't!?"

"No, you're still in trouble for that attack on the twins and for putting your hand up Posie's nightgown." Posie shot Mello a look that could have frozen the very pits of hell.

"It was Matt's suggestion that we go on a panty raid!"

L turned to Matt, a curious smile on his face. "Is this true, Matt?"

Matt gulped, sure that he would get in a lot of trouble for even suggesting it. "I… Well, it was more of a suggestion. But… but Mello thought it was a good idea, so…"

L placed a hand on his head. "Then, for going along with Mello's plan when you knew it was wrong, I'll have to keep you from being able to play video games for six days…"

Matt gaped. "What!? That's no fair!"

"And in order to ensure you don't, you'll be staying in the infirmary for that period of time, except for classes, of course."

Matt's face instantly brightened and he looked at Mello. "Hey! That means I get to see you every day!" He turned back to L. "You're so cool!"

L smiled. "But as long as you're here, you might as well alphabetize papers and file them accordingly." Matt's face dropped and Mello snickered.

Regina and Posie both looked at each other, and Regina spoke up. "Well, since you've given us our punishments, I guess you can go on to bed, L." She gave him an innocent smile, but he was too sharp for her.

"To leave you two alone with the boys who invaded your privacy and made your little drug dealing come to light, am I correct?"

Regina pouted and grabbed the stack labeled "O-Z". "You know, it's unfair to keep us up like this! We've got school in about six hours!"

"Which you won't be going to, since you'll be going down to the police station with Mr. Wammy," L crooned happily. They both glared at him and he just gave them the serenest of smiles, sealing the argument.

-------------------------

Matt tapped his fingers on his textbook, looking out the window. He wasn't in any of Mello's classes, so it was always boring for him. He wanted to get back to the infirmary to see Mello and hang out. He was **so** bored. He felt bored enough to actually die. By now Posie and Regina were spending some time in the police station, having their paperwork filled out. He knew Roger would rather them stay incarcerated until they were at least scheduled to arrive at the juvenile court.

The classrooms were on the second story, and the library was on the third story, along with some more classrooms and the stairs leading to the clock tower. He was currently on the second floor.

The bell in the clock tower sounded and Matt gathered his books and dashed out the door. When he dashed down the steps and turned the corner to the hall where the infirmary was, he caught sight of Mello and Near standing, facing each other. Mello's voice was raised and Near was still wearing that vapid expression on his face, curling his hair. He said something and Mello smacked him across the face.

Matt rushed over and managed to hear Mello yelling, "Yeah, but no one asked you to stick up for me! And I know I sure as hell didn't! So just go back to L's room and tell him what a wonderful person you are! I don't need your help, and I certainly don't want it!"

Near just walked off, seemingly unhurt by the smack in his face, aside from his nose running a bit from when the palm of Mello's hand hit his face. Matt scolded Mello, but Mello brushed him off and went into the infirmary, ignoring the fawning over Matt Miss Margaret did.

He slammed his books down on the bed and jumped onto it, looking out the window with his hands behind his head grumpily. Matt frowned and brushed Miss Margaret off of _him_ and went to the side of Mello's bed. "Why were you so mad at Near?"

"It's nothing!"

"… Is… is something wrong?"

"No!"

Miss Margaret walked over and picked Mello up by the armpits, giving him a firm shake. "Don't speak to little Mattie like that! Have some manners and don't take it out on others!" With that, she stomped off to her office and slammed the door. Mello shook his head a bit to straighten his hair and regain equilibrium, then glared at Matt.

"I forgot to ask why all the staff around here seem to like you so much… Aside from Roger."

"Oh, Roger used to. I've been here longer than most of the other kids. It wasn't until recently that Roger started not liking me. That's mainly because ever since you came I've been getting into trouble." He laughed and Mello brushed himself off, sitting back on the bed, this time with his back to the wall, away from the window.

Matt sat down next to him. "So, **is** there something wrong?"

Mello groaned and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

Matt nodded and decided not to push it. It was only a moment or two before Mello was spouting out all the reasons wrong with Near.

"He's such a little prick! And that snow white hair and his all-too-innocent looks! Gah! Even his **eyelashes** are white! He's so annoying and he's such a goody-goody! And did you see how he just took that blow to the face!? He's not human, I tell you!"

Matt gave Mello a grin. "Maybe he's a vampire!"

Mello glared. "UGH. And you know what he did?"

"What?"

"Well, a bunch of the older kids were snickering at my nose and Near walked up to them and gave this stupid speech about it being the result of some heroic fight for your honor! **Augh**!"

"Well… that's true, right?"

"But he stuck up for me! That little prick! I don't need him trying to fight my own battles! I don't need him trying to be all friendly!" He sighed and fiddled with his thumbs, glad to get that off his chest.

Matt smiled. "So? It's not like he joined in laughing with them."

"I wish he had! Then I would be able to hate him like any normal person! Now I'm torn between feeling guilty for hating some kid who wants to be my friend and hating the biggest prick alive!"

Matt scratched his face. He sort of understood what he meant now. "Well, maybe you should just try and befriend him. Then you won't feel so torn."

Mello looked at him incredulously. "You honestly think- the little turd made me remember my parents abandoned me! He made me cry! The git's not just going to be treated like none of that happened- oh no! I'm going to hate him, even if it kills me!"

"That's awfully unhealthy," replied Matt, but his voice was softer than usual. Almost worried and hurt at the same time.

"Who cares?! I'm just going to live for fifty more years or so anyway! I don't see why I can't focus on hating someone to an unhealthy degree while I'm still just a kid!"

"Yes, but habits usually get carried out into adulthood."

Mello glared, spat at him. "Oh, and I suppose you're an expert on childhood development!? You're only a grade level ahead of normal kids your age- you're so close to normal intelligence, I wouldn't be surprised if you were having trouble in even the most basic of classes!"

Mello's words stung, and Matt could feel tears beginning to well up and prickle at his eyelashes. At that moment, Linda walked in and strode over to Matt. "Hi, Matt! I came to visit. What's up?"

Mello gave another wail. "Get out, get out! I don't want her in here! Matt, tell her to leave!"

Linda put her arms on her hips and pouted at him, glaring daggers all the while. "I have a name, you know."

"Yeah, but it's not important enough to remember! You're even stupider than Matt!"

She frowned and turned back to Matt. "Anyway-" She stopped and saw he was rubbing at his eyes. "A-Are you crying? Mello! You big jerk!"

Mello's head swiveled to look over at his friend and his angry face faded instantly. "Oh… You know I didn't mean it. I'm just mad… I'm just mad, Matt."

Linda reached down to hug Matt, but he pushed her away and ran out the door. A moment later, Linda gave Mello the most painful slap he'd ever gotten since his mother's beatings. But it wasn't her strength that made it hurt, but rather the guilt inside of him.

---------------------

Near walked into L's room rubbing his nose. It wasn't like Mello to hit someone for doing something nice. Sure, he bullied the younger kids, but kids went through phases, and it wasn't like any of the younger kids had done him any favors.

How could Mello hate him for trying to be nice? For sticking up for him? That just wasn't very right. It wasn't right at all…

And yet…he couldn't shake the feeling that he probably deserved it. He wasn't sure if it was something he did or didn't do, but maybe he _did_ deserve it. Were people not supposed to stick up for others? Was that something most kids- even most adults- didn't do? Weren't _allowed_ to do?

He was never very good at social interaction with others…so maybe there had been something he'd missed. He wiped his eyes a bit because they were getting blurry.

His sleeve was wet.

What…?

Why was he crying?

---------------------

Linda dashed out to the lawn and to the climbing tree. "Matt?! Are you up here?"

"Go away!"

She hopped onto the branch and frowned. "No. I want to help you. Near told me he was replacing you, and…he's right. And I still want us to be friends. Like we used to. So I'm staying here whether you like it or not."

Matt was curled up, wiping tears from his eyes. He didn't seem to be listening. "No. You're brainless! I don't hang out with brainless twits."  
"Oh come _on_! You're starting to sound like Mello! I know you don't actually think like that…"

"What would _you_ know? Maybe Mello just helped me come to terms with how I really feel about things."

Linda burst out laughing. "Matt! I've known you for two years! You're not like that! Mello's mean, arrogant, and rash!

"Yeah…but he's my first real friend…"

Linda's face went red. She could not _believe_ what she was hearing! Mello? His first friend?! So what was she, then?? Just some chick he followed around?! Some chick he was always hiding behind walls and waiting til she was alone before asking to play with her?!

"Matt. I thought **I** was your first real friend."

"No you aren't. You're…different. You're a girl."

"S-So!? How does that make me not a friend!?"

She gasped. Wait a minute! If Matt never considered her a friend- maybe he liked her? She blushed, unsure of what to say. "M-Matt… You don't mean…you…like me?"

Matt's face froze and his tears stopped. He looked somewhat happier. He looked up at the treetops, contemplating something. After a while, he answered her slowly. So slowly, in fact, that his "S" was long and drawn out, like a snake-ish sound.

"S….. So it is! Yes! I've liked you for a long time!"

His face was bright, and he looked happier than she'd ever seen him. She frowned after a moment. So it was true? Well, that wasn't good at all. She didn't like him like that…

"Linda, will you go out with me??"

She fell out of the tree. "Whaaaaat?!"

He jumped down and helped her up. "Will you?"

Staring at his happy face, she couldn't bear to tell him no. So, she took him up on that offer.

After a moment, she noticed Roger wandering through the halls, looking for something. She pushed Matt behind the tree. "Oh no! Roger's out looking for something! I'll bet he went to check and see if you were in the infirmary! You better get back there before he sees you! Uh…. I'll create a distraction!"

Matt nodded enthusiastically.

She looked him square in the eye, trying to formulate a plan. "Okay, you stay behind here until you see Roger coming towards me, alright? When you get back in the infirmary, you'll just have to come up with an excuse or something for why you weren't there."

"I'll take him I was in the loo."

She smiled. "That's a great idea! You're pretty smart, Matt!"

He blushed and tried to keep from quivering. He was smart… He was smart? Yes! He was smart! He wasn't a dummy like Mello kept saying he was!

------------------

"Roger! Roger! One of the older boys took my sketchbook and is trying to throw it over the gate!"

Roger took one look at Linda and knew she meant it. She was sobbing and her face looked dirty, as if she had tried to get it back and had gotten pushed in the mud.

"Alright, but this better not take long, Linda. Matt's gone missing."

As she ran out to the lawn, she led him to the opposite direction the climbing tree, so that his back would be facing it. Two of the older boys were tossing the sketchbook back and forth, laughing. At the sight of Roger, one of them mumbled a swear word and hid it behind his back.

"What is going on here? Linda says you're threatening to throw her sketchbook over the gate!"

The other boy shook his head and Linda sidled sort of behind Roger and turned to wave at Matt. Matt noticed this and went dashing to the front door.

-----------------

Matt was practically skipping. "Linda said I was smart! She said I was smart!" He could have been floating for all he cared. Floating out into space and it wouldn't have mattered. When Mello told him he was smart, it was usually to make him stop crying after telling him he was stupid. But Linda- Linda had said it because she believed it!

Oh, and now that he asked her out, maybe he'd make himself like her instead of Mello!

Things were so great right now.

He bounced into the infirmary and shut the door, going immediately to the bathroom. "Hey Mello! When Roger comes back in, knock on the wall three times. And subtly! I'm going to tell him that lunch made me constipated."

Mello sighed and waved his hand a bit, not even bothering to look up from his homework. "Any reason why you're in such a good mood?"

"I asked Linda to go out with me and she said yes! Then she said I was smart!"

Mello sat up immediately and ran to the bathroom door. "Are you serious!? Was she on drugs??"

Matt stuck his head out and gave Mello a sour look. "**NO**. She was perfectly normal. Why do you ask?"

"Well…"

It was obvious Mello was trying to come up with a different reason other than "She said you were smart!"

Finally, he smiled. "Because who would like someone like you? You're obsessed with games more than girls."

"Nu-uh. I have a girlie magazine under my bed. One of the older kids gave it to me. And besides, Linda's pretty smart. She knows all the older boys think of me as a little brother, so she came up with a distraction when Roger was looking for me so I could get back inside."

"Yeah." Mello snorted. "Which means she's smarter than you."

Matt smacked him across the face and slammed the door shut. Mello clawed at the door after recovering. "Come on! I was just kidding! I'm always kidding about stuff like that!"

"Mello- she's right! You **are** a big jerk!"

Mello grinned a bit and walked back to the bed to do his homework. So he was siding with Linda now, was he? Well, he'd show Matt to side with someone who wasn't his friend.

At that moment, Roger went back in. He went directly over to Mello and frowned at him. "Mello, where is Matt? He's nowhere else, and I know you know where he is!"

Mello looked up and gave a wry smile. "He snuck outside. That little sketchbook incident was just Linda's distraction to help him get back inside without you seeing him. He's hiding in the bathroom now."

Roger went to the door and nearly ripped it off its hinges. "MATT!"

Matt was standing in front of the toilet, taking a wiz. His eyes went wide. "Wh-What are you doing Roger!?" He tried to cover himself, getting urine all over his hands. Roger backed out the room, stuttering.

"S-SORRY! So- So Sorry! Uhhhh… I'll just wait out here until you're done!"

Mello snickered and Matt could hear him now that the door was open. The second he was done, he ran out of the room and jumped on Mello.

"You bastard! What the hell was that for! I trusted you!! I thought we were friends!! You bloody little bag of scum! I'll wound you!"

Mello had doubled backward and was fighting the wiry redhead off of him. He was much more limber than Matt: Matt was always sitting in front of a game console, playing video games, while Mello was outside playing soccer. The difference in strength became obvious when Mello kneed Matt in the shin, causing Matt to wail and fall off the bed.

The second he was down, Mello had jumped off the bed and started kicking him. Punching him when he could land one, and shouting at him in Slovenian. The word Linda kept repeating over and over again, and Roger assumed they were fighting over said girl.

He grabbed Mello roughly by the armpits as Miss Margaret came running out of her office, picking Matt up and cradling him in her arms. "Oh! Mattie! What did you do to him, you little monster!? What did the poor thing do to you!?"

Mello spit at her. "Why don't you ask him yourself, you drunk bitch!?"

She scoffed and fought the urge to throw Matt at him as a weapon. "Roger! Get that boy under control! I will not have him in my infirmary anymore if he's going to behave like this!"

"Matt started it!"

Roger tightened his grip on Mello. "Mello, you will shut your trap if you want to get out of a year's worth of detention!"

Mello shut his mouth and Matt opened his eyes weakly. Blood was running out of his nose and he had a black eye. He felt sore all over. Mello had attacked him, even after he had hit the ground. He was just as bad as the twins. Just as bad as Linda had said he was. But… He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Mello would have done it intentionally. He had just gotten mad and lost control was all.

At least, he kept telling himself that.

Roger gripped Mello even tighter, speaking lowly, like one would before losing their temper. "Miss Margaret, I want Matt to stay here until he recovers. I want you to move Near in here, too, and move Mello into the room with L. After Matt recovers, I want you to let him return to his room and bring Mello back in here. It's obvious these two need to be separated."

He looked at Matt and sighed sadly. "I've known it ever since Matt started getting into trouble. Mello's just a terrible child."

Mello glanced up at Roger. He felt weak. It was as if he was reliving his mother all over again. He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to run away and hide. Shame washed over him and tears began pouring down his cheeks. "She was right. I am ungrateful and selfish and cruel-hearted…"

Roger immediately let go of him, as if afraid to touch him. He was never good with children, and he had no idea how to handle one that was crying.

Mello started sobbing and speaking in Slovenian again. There was an eerie silence before the door opened. L walked in and observed the situation. He had obviously not expected this, but he had heard shouting which caused him to walk in. He walked over to Mello, bending down. To everyone's surprise, he could understand what Mello was saying.

He cooed as he would to a baby, telling Mello it would be alright.

"Mello, it's okay. Don't cry."

"_M-Mama was right. I am terrible. I don't deserve to be friends with Matt. All I ever do is hurt people._"

"Shhh. Shhh. That's not true. You just lost your temper. I'm sure you mother didn't see the side of you I see."

Mello looked up and wiped some of the tears from his eyes, tears still wet on his face. "_Wh-What side?_"

"You have a way with people, Mello. And deep down, I know you just care too much. Why else would you get so angry all the time? You have to care at least a little in order to be affected enough to get angry. You see?"

Mello sniffled a bit and L picked him up. Roger lifted his hand to say something, but L cut him off. "I want him and Near in Mello's room. Matt can stay here until he's recovered. Roger, I'm sure Mello's learned from his mistake. And I'm sure Matt won't hold it against him for long."

"B-But what about Mello and Near? Won't they-"

L smiled. "I don't think Mello will try anything while I'm around. And I doubt Near will say anything intentionally to set him off."

As he walked out of the room, Matt made eye contact with Mello. He could clearly see the apology in Mello's eyes, so he decided he would just have to forgive him and get over it.


	11. A Different Sort of Shrink

Oh, shits and giggles. I accidentally made L say he wanted to move Mello and Near into_Mello's_ room. He was supposed to say _my_ room.

Just clearing that up. Mello will be in L's room.

I'd also like to clear up that Matt, while he _is_ going out with Linda, he still has feelings for Mello. He's merely trying to make himself like someone other than Mello, and because Linda is like Mello in many ways–bossy, short-tempered, and yet kind–, he thinks she's the right one for the job.

OH! Also, everything is in normal text because I'm going to have a flashback for Near, when he was crying. Simply because The WRITER and her CRAFT requested LxNear fluff, and seeing as I like it, too, I couldn't help but comply happily. ;o Also, with Mello joining them in L's room, that leaves only two beds, and Near's too fragile to last a night sleeping next to Mello.

Now then, this chapter is going to focus a bit more on Near, because it focused on Matt and Mello in the last few chapters… (Sorry to all of you, but this chapter is slightly smaller than what you are probably used to.)

Oh! And before I forget to mention it– I'll bet you're wondering why Matt seems to be the favorite of all the children and adults. Well, see, the reason why is that Matt has such a huge fanbase, even if he's only in the manga for 15 frames! I figured, if so many people like him in real life, then he's probably got something that makes him likeable. (Sad to say it's mostly because all the girls can't help but love a red-headed gamer with a wicked sense of humor and a short attention span. But then again, I haven't gotten to the point to mention that all the girls like him, even the older ones.)

Matt really is a lady's man, isn't he? It's too bad he hangs out with Mello, seeing as the blonde is always making faces at people and scaring them away. –sigh- Something tells me Matt wouldn't have it any other way, really. Gotta have that best friend carting you around everywhere, yeah?

Also, I'm sad to say that with the way things are going, this story should end in about three or four chapters…but fear not! I have not yet begun to write! It will end up being continued in a story titled "The Long and Winding Road." In it, the children will be twelve. Well, Matt and Mello will be. It will continue until L leaves for Japan on the Kira case. Either that or I'll put those in a special one, with a foreword for after the story, since Near is the center point of the first one, and he's the only one left alive after the manga.

- Cake-face (Sorry for such a long Author's Notes section. And sorry if I gave too much away.)

P.S. Oh crap, and before I forget, the gesture Mello uses isn't the two-fingered salute Matt and other Britsies like to use, but rather the_one_-fingered salute, like wee little American children use. (Guffaw.) He's around Matt all the time, so he knows what that one was, but Regina's was his first exposure to the bird, as most know it. –sweat- So, he doesn't quite comprehend just how angry of a gesture that is. (Oddly enough, it fits him. Little angry boy he is and all.)

–––––––––––––––––

"_Candy on the beach is nothing better…but I like candy when it's wrapped in my sweater…" L was mumbled the lyrics in his own special way, practically salivating from the thought. He turned the knob to his door and walked in._

_That was weird…_

_Near was sitting on the floor, back to the door, completely still. He closed the door behind him and hunched his way over to the boy. He bent down and looked at the boy's face. He waved a hand in front of Near's face when the little one didn't respond._

_Near looked up, tears staining his cheeks. "D-Did I do something wrong?"_

_L frowned. "Of course not. What are you going on about"_

"_B-But Mello got mad when I stuck up for him in class. Am I not supposed to do that? Is–Is it wrong to do that?"_

_L shook his head, giving him a stern "No." He sat in that "damaged youth" way of his and pulled Near's hands away from the petite little face. How could a boy this cherubic get in trouble for something that honorable?_

_He dusted Near's cheeks lightly with his finger, wiping the tears away before carefully grabbing Near's face, forcing him to look him in the eye. "Near, Mello doesn't want you to do that because he has too much pride to be grateful for help. Now, for you, it would be bad to do that to a prideful person, mainly because they will hurt or at least get angry and hurt you emotionally, sort of like right now. Now, promise me you won't try to stick up for Mello, no matter how hard you want to. Alright? Mello's still young and still learning to control his temper, so he'll most likely hurt you, like now. And I. Don't. Want. That. You understand?"_

_Near sniffled and nodded his head slowly. L ruffled his hair and stood up. "Good. Do you want me to leave you alone?"_

_Near shook his head. "L…?"_

_L bent down again and smirked a bit. "Yes?"_

_Near wrapped his arms around L and gave him a hug and a smile. L tensed up, but soon relaxed and patted the boy's shoulder. _

"_Thanks."_

_L picked up the littler one and sat down on his bed, setting Near down beside him. "You, too. You know, I don't really mention this to people, but I sometimes feel like a father to you children." He ruffled Near's hair again and opened the door, walking out._

_Near just sighed. It would have been so cool if L had been his dad… He put his hands on his head. Had he really just thought that?? He had to push it away. If Mommy hadn't been able to replace Daddy, L shouldn't be able to._

––––––––––––––––

_L walked out of the room. Jesus, that Near seemed to have a habit of making him want to hug things. To comfort things. Near was just so much like him, it felt like he was his own kid! Of course, that couldn't be true. All the children at Wammy's House felt like his children, but Near more so than others._

_He had to be careful, lest he decide to quit his detective career to instead get married and have his wife pop out a few kids like Near. Then again, Mello was also rambunctious. He wouldn't mind having a kid like him, too. Besides, he knew how to handle children like Mello. It was all a matter of unconditional love and understanding._

_As he walked by the door to the infirmary, he heard shouting. Was that Slovenian? Was Mello angry again?_

_He pressed his ear to the door._

"Linda, Linda,**Linda**!! What's so special about Linda, anyway?! You'd rather hang out with Linda than me?! After all I've done for you, you just go and betray me like that?! Maybe I really will turn around and beat you, you stupid queer! How is that bitch Linda better than me?!

"Do you love Linda more than me or are you going to turn into my parents, huh?!" _L winced as Mello told Matt to go screw himself, and he didn't use the word screw, rather the equivalent of the F-word_. "I don't need your friendship anyway!"

_There was a long, long silence, and he decided Mello had calmed down enough. When he walked in, he found it to be completely different. Rather, Mello was crying on the floor. He was glad he had comforted Near just minutes ago, it made it so much easier to speak with Mello tenderly._

––––––––––––––––––

Mello was still sobbing when L opened up the door to his room and set Mello on Near's bed. He sniffled a bit, eyes growing heavy. L smiled and ruffled his hair. "You're probably sleepy. Most kids get sleepy after they cry. Just try and get some sleep."

Mello nodded his head and lay his head down on the pillow. There was an uncomfortable lump under his head, and it was sharp and pointy, like plastic. He grumbled and pulled whatever it was out. He froze when he saw what was in his hands–Near's toy. He shot up, wide awake, looking around the room frantically.

Near was staring at him, sitting on L's bed. He, too, looked like he had been crying moments ago. Mello felt some grim satisfaction in this, so he sneered. "What's the matter? Did you cry after I hit you in the face, glassback?"

Near's face crumpled and he turned around. Mello, instead, took this to mean that Near was being indignant. "Oh, you shouldn't be embarrassed with how frail you are. After all, you _are_ a big fat baby." He pointed and laughed, and Near's head slowly got lower.

L slapped Mello's hand and crouched, looking at him darkly. "Mello, you're going to be sharing a room with us while Matt's recovering from that beating you gave him." Near's ears perked up a bit. "And when you're staying with us, I have two rules."

He held up one finger. "First, you have to stop picking on Near." Another finger. "Second, you have a choice whether you want to sleep beside someone or by yourself, and you can't switch to another once you've chosen."

Mello weighed his options. If he said he wanted to sleep next to someone, he'd probably wind up sleeping with Near. Then again, there was also the possibility he'd get to sleep with L. On the other hand, L had probably given Near that choice, and if Near had said he wanted to sleep by himself, L would probably wind up sleeping on the floor.

Still, he had a feeling he'd wind up with Near if he said he'd like someone to sleep with.

"No, I want to sleep by myself."

L simply nodded, and walked out of the room. As he closed the door, he stared directly at Mello, meeting his eyes. "As long as you're in the room, you aren't allowed to lay a finger or say a single hurtful word towards Near. You understand?"

As soon as the door was closed, Near turned to Mello, hopeful this would give him a chance to befriend him, because the first three times were simply not enough.

"Mello…did you get into a fight with Matt?"

Mello glared at him, and decided to use that hand gesture he saw Regina give the other night a try. "Like I'd tell you, freak."

Near's mouth opened a bit, knowing precisely what that gesture meant. He, like Matt, had grown up in an urban city, where gestures like that and frivolous use of bad words ran rampant. "M-Mello, that's not nice. I'm only trying to help."

A suddenly evil idea fired across Mello's cerebellum and he gave a kind, gentle smile to Near instead. "Y-You're right." Oh, he was just so _good_ at lying. "I'm sorry, Near. Say, why don't we go outside and play with some toys?"

Near's interest was piqued, and while he had to admit Mello's sudden change in heart was strange, he just figured it was because Mello had seen the light of reason. He stood up and gave him a smile, wary. "Alright…"

Mello shot to the door, opening it. He giggled lightly as Near walked towards the door. Mello took one step out of the frame of the door. He was out! He stood there for a moment until Near walked closer…

Then he clocked Near on the side of the head, causing the younger boy's head to go careening into the door.

When Near's head hit with a 'clunk' sound, Mello winced. It was… It was funny, but yeowch! That had to hurt! Near slumped to the ground and stopped moving. He started out giggling a bit, before bursting into obnoxious laughter. He was practically bellowing, until finally he noticed Near had not gotten back up. His laughter soon died and an icy hand seemed to grip his chest…hard.

He walked over and nudged Near's body with his foot before biting his clenched fist.

After what seemed like minutes, he finally managed to croak out a few decent words to fit the occasion.

"O-Oh my God, I think I killed him…"

He suddenly did a fruity little jump and dashed away.

A few moments later, Near sat up feeling very groggy. He rubbed the side of his head. "Owwww… Wh-What just happened?" His head was pounding, and he was seeing colours dancing around the hallway.

He saw a figure walk over, a colour blocking the figure's face.

"Oh my God! Near, you're bleeding!"

He felt whoever it was grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hall to the infirmary. He passed out again on the way there.

–––––––––––––––––––

When he woke up, Matt was in the bed next to him, grinning and sporting another black eye and two casts for his arm, one for his leg.

"Hey, you finally woke up. I suppose Mello did a number on you, too?"

Near mumbled an incoherent train of thought before rubbing his eyes. He reached to twirl what little hair was growing after Mello's first stunt, but instead found bandages. He then noticed Matt, and his eyes went wide.

"M-Mello did that you?? Aren't you his friend?"

Matt grinned sheepishly, glancing at Miss Margaret for a moment before turning his attention back to Near. "Miss Margaret always flips out when I'm involved. It's really not that bad. I think she's just overreacting. Either that or keeping me here. She's been like this ever since her son died."

Near made sort of a 'puff' sound, exhaling air as he looked out the window. There wasn't much he could say to that, except… "Who brought me here?"

"Oh, Linda did. She was going to go check up on you, because L said you and Mello were in the room alone, and she saw you lying on the ground. When you sat up, the side of your head was bleeding."

Near pulled at the bandages worriedly. Matt laughed. "It really wasn't that bad. Just a small cut where the skin split open from the blow. Linda overreacts, too. The main problem is you have a knot on the side of your head and a bruised brain."

Near began rubbing his head furiously, worried his brain would be permanently damaged. This made Matt laugh again. "I'm just kidding. You should see your face."

After a moment–a long, grueling, tense moment–Matt muttered something. Then he finally asked a question, speaking lowly, not even facing Near, concern etched in his features and floating on his voice. "D-Did Mello say anything…about…me?"

"Well, I asked him if he got into a fight with you." There was a short moment before Matt asked him to elaborate. "A-And he gave me the finger and told me to buzz off, pretty much…"

Matt's head dropped. It didn't seem like Mello had been very sorry, but then again, Mello's eyes were practically bleeding apologies. He sighed.

At that moment, they could both hear two angry voice shouting at each other, and quite a few phrases in that language only Mello spoke. The door came crashing over moments later and Linda had kicked a very bewildered and irate Mello into the room.

"Apologize, you big sack of dog vomit!"

Mello rubbed the back of his head, and it looked like it had gotten quite a few hairs ripped from it. Matt noticed Linda untangling blonde hairs from between her fingers, and he giggled.

"What the Hell was that for, psycho–"

"Shut the Hell up, turkey legs!"

"Wh-**What **did you say, you no talent hack?!"

Her face turned bright red and her fists clenched tighter than Matt had ever seen them clenched in all the time he had known her. "**You are the biggest–**"

"Bugger off, ye bloody twats! This 's a peaceful place–not a prison yard!"

Linda mumbled a silent curse word and backed off, Mello began to leave, but Miss Margaret shut the door on him. "The brat's right, Mello. Apologize to Mattie, right now!"

He frowned and turned to Matt. He had to fight back at the tears threatening to slide down his cheeks. Near was in the room, but…but he just couldn't help it. Matt was too good for him, and he was always pushing him around. Matt helped him learn English and stuck by him when everyone else would have given up and called him an asshole to be gone with him.

And he had beaten him up–the kid was in casts, for crying out loud!

He bit his lip so hard it began to bleed; he tried looking everywhere but at Matt, when he noticed the open window. He was quickly formulating a plan, how to hit Near as he jumped out the window. Finally, he was down to breathing heavily, letting tears just fall down his face. Screw Near for seeing him like this! He didn't deserve nice friends like Matt!

He bounded onto Near's bed and jumped out the window, running off and hiding behind the back of the building. He couldn't even bother to smack Near in the face as he ran off. He spent the next two hours behind the bushes at the back of the House, rocking back and forth.

"Make me disappear. Please, oh please. God, just make me disappear. I don't want to face this. Please, please, please…"

When the tears no longer fell, too dry to keep up production, he clutched himself tighter, closing his eyes and praying for God to make everything fade away. After a moment, he heard a shift in the wind, and a few leaves shivered out of place. There was someone there. He instantly shut his mouth, hoping whoever it was would go away.

"H-Hello? Is someone back here?"

Oh God! Please, anything but **her**! Why of all people did **she** have to show up now?!

The footsteps grew closer, and his heart beat sped up, two-hundred beats a minute. The leaves parted, and Linda's hand reached out, tapping his head.

He jumped, practically screaming bloody murder, and stared at her, wild-eyed.

She jumped back, too. "G-Good Lord! M-Mello, what is wrong?!" He paused and stood up, back against the wall–planted himself against the wall.

"Don't start on me. I **swear**, I will kill you."

She bit her knuckle, giving him a pained look, which was odd, coming from her, seeing as she was usually up his arse about something or other. "Have you been _crying_? Oh, is it about Matt?"

He pulled on his hair, on the verge of ripping it out. He had gone through enough spit these past few days; he just wanted it to end. For good. To just disappear. He ground his teeth. "Sh-Sh-Shut **up**!!! He deserves better than some bitch like you!"

She looked at him sarcastically. "Oh, and I suppose you're better for him?"

His lips trembled and he wanted to run, to just run away from all this mess he'd gotten himself into, but he couldn't. "L-Leave me alone…"

She frowned and uncharacteristically sighed. "Look, I know you're beating yourself up over it, and Matt told me Roger said something that really got to you, dealing with your parents. It's okay, really. He doesn't mind you bossing him around all the time." She bit her lip a bit and threw her hands up in the air.

"To be honest, I don't think you're a good influence on Matt at all! He's like a completely different person, always getting into trouble…but he's your best friend. You're _his_ best friend. There's going to be fights, but you guys are close. You'll get through them." She laughed. "Besides, he needs someone to push him around a bit. Why do you think he latched onto me in the first place?"

"B-But, I beat the**crap** out of him. He doesn't deserve–"

"What he **doesn't** deserve is for his friend to stop talking to him! As much as I'd like that to happen, it'd really hurt him. Besides, Miss Margaret over-reacted like she always does. All you really did was cut his lip and give him a few bruises."

Mello frowned, slightly relieved. But why on earth was Linda being this nice to him? It was…foreign. Was it because she was going out with Matt now? "What, so just because you're going out, you're now his bitch? You have to start liking his friends because you're dating him?"

Linda's face turned red and she clenched her fists at her side, and he could practically see steam coming from her ears. "It's not like that! He asked **me** out! I was too afraid to say no!"

As soon as he heard that, he couldn't control his rage. He hauled off and punched her in the face.

––––––––––––––––

"Mello, what are we going to do with you?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Roger, but you don't understand!"

"No, Mello–YOU don't understand! You can't just go around beating up all the other children! First Near, then Matt, now Linda! What is wrong with you?!"

L walked in and shut the door. "Roger, Linda's alright, but I think we need to talk to Mello about why he's doing this. That will do more good than just punishing him."

Roger's face went red and he had to swallow another outside voice. "A-Alright. Mello, why are you doing this?"

Mello frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Like I'd tell you! Why can't I just talk to L about it? Unlike you, he'll understand."

Roger grimaced and shot L a look. L just shrugged and grabbed Mello's hand. "Come on, Mello. _I_ think that would be just fine."

–––––––––––––––

Linda leaned over and looked at Matt. "Matt, how can you seriously like hanging out with Mello? He just punched me!"

Matt shrugged. "Well, you must've said something that made him mad. He doesn't attack without reason…"  
Linda jumped up out of her seat and threw the bag of ice she was using to numb her jaw on the ground. "Matt! He's a bad kid, why can't you see that?! He's just attacking everyone–he attacked you, for crying out loud!"

Matt could feel a burning anger rising up in his chest. "Hey! Mello's not a bad kid, alright?! He's just confused and his parent's abandoning him really messed him up, okay!? He just needs time!"

"He doesn't need time, he needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Oh shut up, Linda! He's my friend, and I still believe he's a good kid! Your opinion won't change that!"

"If you'd rather hang out with him, why don't you just ask him out instead, arseface!?" She stomped out, fuming, and Matt was practically seething. He clenched his hands into fists and punched the wall, shouting after her as she slammed the door. "Yeah, well, maybe I will, you stupid girl!" He huffed and looked over at Near, who was looking at him with mild curiosity. "What are you looking at, shrimp?!"

Near flinched slightly, before rubbing his head. "N-Nothing. I was just wondering…if Mello's still beating you up, why do you still want to be his friend?"

"What about you? He's always beating you up, but you're sticking up for him in class."

"B-Because. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness…even if they act like Mello does…"

Matt smiled. "Wow…that's very grown-up of you, Near…"

Near's cheeks went pink and his nodded his head a bit. "Thanks…"

–––––––––––––

"Mello, why are you beating up your friends?"

"Linda and Near are**not** my friends." Mello grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and shoving his plate of cake away from him, towards L. L took this as a sign that he could eat it, and he immediately picked the plate up and scooped it onto his own plate.

"Well, why did you beat up Linda? I know you wouldn't normally do that."

"Because…" Mello uncrossed his hands and looked at them, looking back up at L and stuffing them in his pockets. "She was going to end up hurting Matt."

L smiled. "You care a lot about Matt."  
"Well, I should. He's my best friend in the whole world."

"But he's also your only friend."

Mello went red. "S-So? Is it against the law to only have one friend? How many friends do you have, L?"

L poked his bottom lip with the fork and looked up thoughtfully. "I can't say I have anyone I'd consider a friend…"

Mello's eyes widened and he scooted to the edge of his seat. "Wh-What do you mean? Everybody has friends…"

"Matt has quite a few."

"Yeah, but he said he really only thought of me as a friend. All the older kids are just nice to him and stuff. He doesn't consider them friends."

"Why do you think that?"

"B-Because I'm actually his age?"

"Exactly. I don't really connect with anyone on an intellectual level. I don't really feel close to anyone. I don't know many people who can challenge my brain enough."

"Well, Matt's not on my own level… He's only a grade above normal children his age…"

"Are you sure? That's his class placement; don't you think he could be smarter than that?"

"No. His class reflects his intelligence, right?"

L laughed. "It really only shows how good he is at applying himself to the classes he has. I think Matt is smarter than you give him credit for."

Mello picked a few crumbs off the place in front of L and shook them off onto the floor. "If he were smarter, he'd tell me…"

"Would he?"

Mello looked up. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't he?"

"Some people don't know how smart they really are. I think Matt is one of those people. He could probably be in a higher level if he applied himself, but I don't think he really wants to. Because of that, he doesn't truly know how smart he really is."

Mello frowned. "So, I like hanging out with Matt because he's smart?"

"Well, most people like to hang out with people they think have qualities they'd like to have. Does Matt have any abilities you wish you had?"

"Well…" Mello looked down, searching for a few reasons. "Well, Matt is kinda cool. All the older kids and adults love him. He's pretty popular… I think that's pretty cool. He's also good at video games. I can't sit still long enough to get through one single battle with him when we play Killer Instinct…"

L smiled. "Well then, that's something. What about Near? Why do you feel the need to attack Near?"

Mello grumbled, feeling his face grow warm. He hated that kid with a passion. "He–He's better than me. He's in the same grade as I am, but he's two years younger… He…makes me cry…b-because he reminds me why my parents didn't want me. He reminds me I'm inadequate…and…and yet…he's like my sister. My sister didn't hate me. My sister loved me, but she was the reason Mama wanted to get rid of me… She–She was better than me…"

He felt tears welling up in his eyes and L smiled. "But you love your sister, don't you?" Mello nodded sadly, reverting back to Slovenian.

"_She looked just like Mama. Every time I looked at her, it was like looking at Mama. Except a Mama loved me…_"

L smiled warmly and ruffled Mello's hair. "Don't you think you feel the same way about Near that you feel about your sister?"

Mello looked up and made a face that clearly showed he was repulsed by the idea. "Gross! I don't love Near!'

"Well, what I mean is, do you think that maybe Near reminds you of your sister, and that is why you can't hate him?"

Mello's face went wide, realization hitting him. "H-Hey…you're right. So, because Near reminds me of my sister, I can't hate him?"

L nodded, before looking at him, face etched with concern and paternal love. "It's not healthy to hate someone, you know. Just because you know why you can't hate him, it doesn't mean you _should_ hate him. Hate only leads to suffering on your part."

Mello frowned. "Whatever…I guess I'll hold back on that…for now." Something told Mello he would continue to hide it, until he left.

"Tell me about Linda."

Mello looked off to the side, anger filling his face and causing his eyes to go wild. "Linda. She thinks she's so much better than everyone. She's not special at all. She's a…" He glanced up to look at L, but when he noted at the compassion in his eyes, he knew whatever he said would not change L's opinion of him. "She's a bitch, and she seems to have it out for me. I don't know why, but she feels the need to single _me_ out and yell at _me_."

"Don't you think Matt has something to do with that?"

Mello's face hardened. "Why would Matt have anything to do with it? Does she like Matt or something?"

"Not necessarily, but you have to remember–Matt was her friend until you came along. And now that he has a boy his age to befriend, he doesn't need to hang out with her anymore. I think she may be biased about you in the first place."

"What does 'biased' mean?"

"Well, it means she already holds you to some standard."

"What standard does she hold me to?"

L smiled and gave him a wink. "She thinks you're bad news. She might be able to see Matt's reasoning, if she weren't so conflicted on losing her friend to you. She's going to be biased that you won't be good for Matt, because she wants Matt to continue playing with her."

Mello sighed. He could see where this was going. "What do I have to do to make her leave me alone, then? How can I tell her to buzz off so she actually_ will_ for once?"

L smiled, and Mello could tell there was something he knew he wasn't telling him. Finally, after a long moment, L stood up. "We should head back." Mello frowned, but didn't argue. That was one thing he couldn't stand about L. L seemed to be like Near, only giving enough to make him want to know more. It was as infuriating as it was belittling. Didn't L know that being kept out of "the know" made him feel inadequate? Didn't he know that he was curious, and his curiosity needed to be satisfied?

"L?" L turned to looked at him, being slightly distracted by a row of caramel-coated cakes that seemed to attract his interest…and stomach.

"What is it, Mello?"

"Why won't you tell me how to get Linda off my back?"

L turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Experience is the best way to learn. I'm sure you can figure out a way without my help, Mihael."

Later that night, Near had been released from the infirmary, head still bandaged, when L assured Miss Margaret that he would keep him safe. Mello lay in his bed, wondering what he could do to get out of this mess. He had already beaten up three kids. What if he lost control and beat up another? The thought scared him a bit. Would Roger send him away? He'd never be able to see Matt or L again!

He tossed in his bed and looked over at L. _'L never sleeps…'_ He could clearly remember Matt had told him that the night they decided to sneak out and roam the halls after curfew, but he was practically startled to see L facing him, looking around the room, deep in thought. He shuddered. He looked at the mess of covers in front of L. Gah! Wh-What?? That wasn't a mess of covers at all–it was a small white lump of a boy!

Near was curled up to L's chest, breathing evenly, fisting L's shirt in his bitty hands. After a moment he whined and wiped his eyes a bit, and L looked down, patting him on the shoulder and whispering something.

Oh, if only he knew what L was whispering! L looked back at him and gave him a little smile, the anger and jealousy on Mello's face apparent. He murmured quietly, afraid to stir Near again. "I told him to go back to sleep. He has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night."

Mello nodded his head, but he was still pissed. After a moment, he jumped out of his bed and leaped behind L, curling up to his back and getting comfy. L sighed and rolled his eyes, though Mello could not see this.

Mello curled up and relished the warmth. L was so warm and made him feel completely at ease. "Hey L…?"

L turned slightly, inclining his head to hear Mello better. "Hmm?"

"I wish you were my dad…"

L's voice made a funny scratching sound and he mumbled at him quickly, as though embarrassed. "Just get to sleep, Mello." As Mello grabbed the back of L's shirt in his hands and snuggled under the covers, he found it quite easy to fall asleep. He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

_Alright, there's a few things I'd like to clear up at the end of this chapter: Recently, in my Human Relations class, we watched a video on the different ways men and women communicate. A study was done, and they found that boys usually did not meet each other's eyes when speaking, nor did they actually sit facing each other all the time. Girls, on the other hand, are people-oriented, emotion-oriented. They speak facing each other, meeting each other's eyes. There's also a difference in how little boys talk to each other, and how little girls talk to each other._

_Little boys usually brag and try to outdo each other. It's merely a game to them, really. That's how they connect with one another. Girls, on the other hand, speak to each other, and they do sort of the same thing, although they try to be equal to one another. It's how they connect. Boys try to be "top dog", while girls try to be on the same level. That's how they show they care about each other, how they connect to the people around them. Also, for boys, a best friend is more someone who has their back, while with girls, it's someone they can share their secrets with. _

_I tried to show that a little more in this chapter, and I hope I got it across. Especially since Mello is the jealous type, I could also see Matt's siding with Linda as a sore act of betrayal. I think Matt would also realize that very quickly, since he's also a boy and is wired in the same way. However, Linda didn't see Matt joining with Mello as that much of an act of betrayal. To her, the low blow is him deciding he'd rather hang out with Mello. She wouldn't mind so much who he sided with, so long as she didn't feel like he was ignoring her._

_I really like learning about stuff like this: the things that differentiate the male mentality and the female mentality. I think that, the more I learn, the more real I can make these characters. And that in itself is a bonus for me. As someone aiming to become a writer one day, every little detail counts, you see. It helps make characters more real, more easy to relate to; and that is really what makes a novel so enthralling, how real the characters are._

_Also, I'd like to point out, that Mello's over-reacting a bit in this. I think he's entitled to this, somewhat, seeing as how his best friend is in casts and knowing he caused it. I also believe that Mello is bi-polar, to a point. I've always felt there was something a bit "off" about how he reacted to things in the manga, and I really think that the cause is that he's somewhat bi-polar. He's a bit more unbalanced than most, thus he's entitled to go into hysterics like in this chapter. Now, there's also a chance that he is not, which is why I leave it open to interpretation as to why he seems to be able to control his temper a bit more in the manga, when he's older. _

_Also, I say that L feels as if the orphans are his own children, but I can't really say that he feels like he is their friend. For a friend, there needs to be some give and take. With the children, there is much less give than a friend would be able to offer. Thus, he feels more fatherly towards them. I also strongly believe that Mello and Near felt some sort of closeness like this. I don't really think that them looking up to him alone is enough to justify why they risked life and limb to get revenge for his death. Maybe in Eastern cultures, the whole honor thing is held in high regards, and I'm not one-hundred percent sure on that. But I think for Eastern cultures, just knowing someone's honor needs to be upheld is enough for them to do something like this. _

_However, Mello and Near were raised in a Western culture. While honor is certainly something we deem important, and while admiration for those above us is held in high regards, our culture sort of puts closeness ahead of those values, I think. I think that even if L was not smarter than them, if they did not look up to L, I think the closeness they shared would be enough for them to do what they did._

_And, that's it for my rant. Once again, I'm really not an expert on cultures, yet. I'm more in tune with how people behave, and stuff like that. (I'm very people-oriented, even though I can't really connect with people that well.)_


	12. Revenge

_First off, I'd like to thank someone on deviantart for getting me to get my ass in gear to type this up, and for someone on this site who was kind enough to support me through e-mail, as I desperately went through some procrastination in rereading the entire thing over again. I'd like to say that my hiatus is due to school, but after I posted the last chapter, I found South Park, and I went through a short obsession with that and now it's on to Naruto! I'm terribly sorry for making you all wait, but I refuse to let this die, so I'll just have to suck it up and force myself back into Death Note. –laughs-_

_Anyway, this next chapter won't include L. I think I need to start to bring it to a close. So that I can transfer it over to the next part of the story. At least, it won't include him for much longer…_

_This chapter is dedicated to two people._

_The fist is mayanna–the deviantartian–after she so cleverly tricked me into writing this chapter by putting me on a guilt trip. O: "_HAHA DDD You have no idea how much I enjoy myself now." _That's what she said after I vowed I'd finish it_. _OH SNAPS. I have been the tricksed! She's probably laughing and going, "JUST AS PLANNED!" as I speak. –gaspeth- _

_The second person this is dedicated to is my little kohai, whom has taken an interest in it and been inspired to make her own. And I'm also pimping her story. Because from what she told me, it's going to be cute, and she's making Linda into a 'sporty smartass'._

"_Smiles to a Brighter Past"–go look it up._

_The next thing I'd like to say is that I made a consistency error. In one chapter, I said that Near was on the second floor in the library. Then, two chapters later I said that the library was on the third floor. Because I like the classrooms where they are, Near was on the __**third**__ floor when L first spotted him. I'd also like to mention that the ART room is on the first floor, so that if they need to spray fixative or use paint thinner, they can move it outside easily so it won't stink up the place._

_I'll have you know I wrote this first part like…four months ago. (The part with Mello and Linda's sketchbook.)_

_(I love all my lovely readers and dedicate myself to their reading experiences, but this chapter is mainly dedicated to mayanna and Berry-chan (PandaMuffin123), who cheered me on and got on my ass so I'd finish it.)_

_- Cake-chan (is not dead, and very, very sorry it took so long. And is also very, very sorry the chapter is so short. It's cut off because the meaning behind this chapter is massive–Linda realizes that Mello doesn't just view Matt as a grunt to do his dirty work.)_

_P.S. I'm sorry. I felt the f-word was needed. So it is no longer as clean as it has been._

* * *

"Mello! You bloody jerk! Give it back!!"

Mello cackled wildly as he dashed up the steps into the building, into the boy's bathroom. He knew he was safe: Linda couldn't follow him in here. He giggled and flipped open the sketchbook, taking a gander at what the blonde girl had last drawn–Near.

He rolled his eyes and an idea struck. Opening the door to one of the stalls, he ripped the page out of the book, holding it over the toilet. This would make her not mess with him, right? She'd leave him alone if he threatened to destroy her art, right?

A small hand fell onto his shoulder and he screamed, whirling around. His eyes met Matt's, and they weren't alight with the usual mischief: they were thoroughly livid. Mello took a step back and Matt let out a short huff. He'd been running, running after _him_ most likely.

Matt grabbed the picture of Near from Mello's hands, still staring at him darkly. "What do you have against Linda, Mello? She's nothing but nice, and–"

Mello laughed, his voice waxing hysterical. "_Nice_!? You think she's _nice_!? Wake up, Matt! She's a total bitch! The only reason why you can't see that is because you're so madly in love with her!!"

Matt frowned, eyes crinkling at the corners, lips curling. He dropped the picture and wiped at his eye. "What's your problem, Mello? Why do you hate her so much? She's a girl, she's bound to act different. I don't see why you hate her so much…and…I can't see why she hates you so much… Why do you two hate each other?"

Mello threw the sketchbook at him, the metal spirals scraping against the linoleum of the floor at the redhead's feet. "She's not your best friend, Matt! **I** am! But no, you have to go and follow _her_ around now, just because you two are going out! Well you know what _I_ think!? I think you're better than that! You don't need some girlfriend to make you happy! Why don't you just break up with her!? She doesn't even like you anyway! She only said yes because she's too nice to you to say no!"

Matt clenched his fists and his eyes narrowed. "I _know_ that! I don't care! I _need_ to go out with her, and _you_ don't have to know why! So just leave Linda alone and stop being so mean to her!"

Mello laughed and stepped on the sketchbook and the picture as he walked out of the boy's bathroom, shoving Matt's shoulder. "Whatever. I knew being friends with you was a bad idea anyway. I knew you'd do something like this and betray me in the long run. I hope you find someone else who needs to learn English to betray… God knows you won't let me down in that."

As he stepped out into the hall, Linda tackled him, screaming at him and threatening to give him a good what four if he did anything to her precious sketchbook, he didn't even have time to hear Matt crying.

––––––––––––––––

Roger was flipping through the few files he had left on Near before he was going to shove them somewhere where no one but him could find them. That's when he noticed an inconsistency in the language. Quilsh Wammy picked up children personally unless he was on a job with L…but how had he managed to pick up Near?

It said that the boy was found to be smart and someone contacted the school. But no one had contacted the school directly for months. All calls made went directly to him and were then forwarded if the language was different than one he knew. But he hadn't spoken to anyone from New York…

Quilsh Wammy walked in, sighing. He had a cup of tea in his hand, and he was walking over to his desk. "After this whole mess with the girls and their marijuana-selling scheme going around, people are shooting looks at this place, Roger. I feel it might be best if we stopped with the adoptions for a while. People might start to wonder what we use these children for… We can't let anyone know we have ties to L…"

Roger crossed his hands together, eyes still on the paper in front of him. "Speaking of that, Quilsh…how did you pick up the new boy up personally? Weren't you…on that job with L recently?"

Quilsh chuckled. "I see you found the forged papers then… I never picked that child up, but I had a friend pick him up… It seems you've discovered everything…"

Roger looked to him, smiling. "All except one minor detail: Why was I never contacted? I assume it has something to do with the fact that the boy was related to a man who was killed in one of L's cases…"

His friend smiled. "You're very observant. L never takes such easy cases like that unless there's something more involved. You see, that man worked with him on a case. He found that the man was very smart. He liked him a lot; he was probably one of the few men L would actually consider talking to about things unrelated to the case at hand…"

"…It's quite unorthodox for him to be taking a more…endearing stance…to one of our children. You know it's not proper in the long run. He'll wind up giving Near his position without a second thought…"

Quilsh sat down, pushing the cup of tea across the table. "One thing he _won't_ overlook is how bright Near is. That boy has already reached the point where he finds his classes boring. It's about time for us to put him in a higher class… I'm sure Mello won't be too happy about that, but he'll come to terms with that, of course. Besides, L already tells me he finds Mello just as promising. Eventually Mello will see he needs to work with Near for both of their talents to really shine brighter than they would on their own."

Roger stood. "Quilsh, don't you see the problem here!? We're already in enough trouble as it is with this marijuana business! Any ties with L will be discovered if they bring an investigation to this place! No one can know about it! They'll wonder if we kill off these children's parents themselves or tear children from their homes because they're smart! We can't let any ties to L be allowed here!"

Quilsh Wammy smiled. "And with people's knowledge of one of our boys being the world's chess champion, they'll _surely_ haven't already started to think those things… Oh, and what about the investigation they held after they had that interview here and they discovered most of the children shared the same tendency for having a high I.Q. or some special talent they were developing here. Who was it that saved us then? It was Linda's family, was it not?"

"The case is different now! We have ties to L in written form right here on my desk, damn it!"

"Oh, I do believe they found L's files during that investigation. What did we do to those files, Roger? We changed them, didn't we? No one knew a thing. And that's exactly what we'll do to Near's files if or when a new investigation gets started. You worry too much, Roger. And you're so eager to get rid of a child that sets Mello on edge, aren't you? He reminds you of yourself, doesn't he?"

Roger sighed, taking his spot again. "But…Mello didn't beat up a child that reminds me of you, Quilsh. Near has done nothing to him, and Mello's already had it out for him…"

He smiled. "You know what happened when I went and picked up that child from Slovenia, Roger? His father started to cry. That almost never happens when I pick children up from their homes–homes that no longer want them–, you know. And parents who usually give up their children don't have another child with them. Either that or they give up both, like the twins. They rarely give up only one. His mother had no look of concern to her, except when her daughter started to cry. She loved her daughter more than him. You know what that does to a child–it makes them feel inadequate. And I do believe the fact that Near is younger than Mello sets off those feelings to an even more extreme amount. You never experienced that particular feeling of inadequacy, Roger… You were an only child, as rare as that was those days."

Roger stared at him for a long while before he stood, going to the window. "You were always a much kinder person than I, Quilsh. Much more…_understanding_ than I…"

His friend smiled. "Your tea is getting cold."

He went to it, picking it up and having a sip. "You always know exactly the kind I like."

His friend stifled a chuckle. "Of course, with as much of a problem child you were, I gather yours parents were too afraid to have another…"

The other man gave him a long, weary look before a grin split across his face. "I gather they were, too." He put his cup down. "I hear during the night L discovered a lead to that case… D'you think he should really leave with Mello on a rampage like this?"

"I think you're more than capable at handling it. Just…show a little more compassion to them. After all, you did that quite easily back at the death camps during the war…"

Roger gave him a look, utterly stunned. "I thought you never knew about that…"

"My dear friend told me he witnessed you giving bread to children when his medical staff went by to help them out…"

"Merle said that…" He chuckled. "Merle was always a bit…kinder than me as well… It's a pity he got married and ran off before he could help out around here… Pity he died without seeing his and your vision out in the world…"

"He saw plenty. He always thought you were better at this job than he could be… What you don't realize is that while he and I are both compassionate and understanding, neither of us could ever have the stones to tell a child to shut up and get back to class. Of course, with some children, that's what's needed more than a calm and steady hand on their back refusing to give them the discipline they need to leave the nest eventually. You, Roger, give them that. But at Mello's age and with his situation, he doesn't need that yet. He'll eventually need you to lay down the law, but right now is the time for understanding. Get more involved with the children, read their files. I know you've got the right judgment to make the right decisions."

"You _really_ think that?"

"Of course I do. You just need to find out where each child is coming from before you can make the right decision. If I believed you were wrong for the job, I never would have hired you."

He stifled a laugh. "And here I thought you hired me because I was your friend…"

––––––––––––––––––

Linda sighed, holding that picture of Near in her hands. Matt was beside her, holding her hand very loosely. She looked over at him, finding the very sight of him was making her feel sick. Mello was absolutely right. She had no right to be treating him like this, and by the looks of it, he'd been crying.

"Matt…"

He looked over at her, his interest returning. "Wot?"

"…Mello said something. I know he did because it looks like you were crying. What did he say to you, Matt?"

He gave her a small smile. "He…He didn't say anything."

She frowned, grabbing her hand and sketchbook from him and placing the page back in the front, with all the other pages she tore out. She dropped it to the ground, stomping on it, staring at him with intense eyes. He chuckled in shock, pointing at it. "Wh-Why are you doing that to it? I just saved it from Mello…"

She stomped on it again. "You didn't have to save it from Mello. I can always draw more pictures, Matt. What did he say to you to make you upset." It was a statement, as if she knew exactly what she was doing and exactly what she'd get him to say

He shook his head. "I'm telling you, he didn't say anything to me."

She stomped on it again and he lost it. "Why are you bloody doing that, Linda!?" He pushed her away from it, and she hit the wall behind him. "Stop it! Just stop stomping on it, for fuck's sake!"

"What did he say to you, Matt!? You'll feel better if you tell someone!"

"He told me he shouldn't have been my friend in the first place!" His hands went to his hair and he desperately wished he had that Game Boy in his hands. He started tearing at his hair in a fit of emotions he himself hadn't come to terms with, storming down the hall. "I know I betrayed him by talking to you, but I can't help it! I have to forget about him!"

She picked up her sketchbook, dusting off the dust his boot had deposited on it. She sighed, trailing off in the other direction. "I'll never understand boys… I can't get even show the slightest concern for one of them without the friend getting jealous…" She peered off down the hall, back at him. She bit her lip, that motherly instinct fiercely taking hold. "Matt! Come back! I'm sorry I said anything! Let me make it better, alright!?"

She caught up to him to see he was crying again. He didn't stop walking, so she had to grab his arm. "Matt…" He shook his head, refusing to look at her. "Matt, listen to me. I'm fine with you dating me to get your mind off of Mello, okay? You haven't betrayed him at all; he just thinks you did because you're talking to me more now… When he is transferred back to your room again, make sure he knows you didn't stop thinking about him, okay?"

He whirled around. "What do you mean!? I'm not always thinking about him, Linda! He's just a friend, alright!?"

She smiled at him. "Just…let him know he's more of your friend than I am, is all… And just…stop getting so worried what he thinks! You've always cared too much what people thought of you. You're _you_, Matt. And I wouldn't want anyone to make you think you had to change that… You're popular with the older kids because you think just like them, and Mello will never understand how smart you really are."

He bit his lip. "But…I'm not smart, Linda. I…I'm still only one grade above all the other kids… I'm just an idiot compared to Mello."

"Then why is it all the older boys tell me they wish you talked to them more often now that Mello's around? They all say the same thing, Matt! They all say you're smarter than the other brats in your classes! They say you're far more fun to talk to than all the other kids because you're so smart!"

His cheeks went red. "They don't…"

"They _do_! They say they'd rather talk to you or Mello than the other kids! It's because you challenge their level of thinking, Matt!"

"But…But Corbin and Dennis…"

"They're a bunch of slime balls, Matt. They wouldn't know smart if it came up and bit them in the arse!"

He smiled. "Thanks, Linda." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and started back the other way for the front door. She watched him go.

"Where are you going, Matt?"

"I'm going to go apologize, of course!"

––––––––––––––––––

Mello was sitting in the tree, deep in thought. So Matt thought he wasn't good enough, eh? He thought art was way more better than getting the best grades in class? He thought that some dumb _girl_ was more important than his best friend? He didn't need him one bit!

A hand reached up, grabbing his leg and dragging him out. He squealed, much girlier than he would've liked, and shouted something in Slovenian.

What met him on the ground was much worse than he could've imagined. There was Corbin and Dennis, looking at him with the most hateful looks in their eyes. Corbin glared. "So I hear you and your little _boyfriend_ went and got Regina into trouble, eh? What's _wrong_ with you, you stupid shit? No one ever had any problems until _you_ showed up!" He kicked him, hard.

Mello gasped, scrambling to get out of there. He couldn't take them on, not unless he ambushed them. Dennis grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up and slamming him against the tree. "Linda hates us now after _you_ nearly killed us! What the hell is wrong with that picture!? What the hell is so special about some snot-nosed twat like you!?"

Mello spit some blood into his face. "You nearly killed _me_! Get it right, you wankers!"

Both boys attacked, Dennis slugging him in the face and Corbin kicking his shin. "Yeah, well you're not wanted here anymore!"

"Hey!"

Both boys turned, just in time to see a flash of red flying at them. Corbin fell first, and soon Dennis found himself with his pants pulled down. "What the hell!?"

Matt had run over to Mello, helping him up. "Leave my friend alone!" He turned to Mello, whispering. "I know we should wait until we're in less trouble, but whatter'you say we kick these guys asses now?"

Mello looked at him stunned, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. He grinned, that smile flashing–all but that missing tooth. "Oh, hell yes!"

A few of the older kids ran over, excited. One of the boys pumped his fist in the air. "Get those wankers, Matt!"

–––––––––––––––––

Linda was watching the whole mess out the window, silently wanting one of the twins to find himself in a coma. As long as Matt was happy, it didn't matter much if he got into trouble. She'd thought she would've felt terrible for them, but she had no compassion whatsoever. They'd hated on Matt because he was gay, after all. It was about time Matt and Mello returned those close-minded jerks the favor.

A few of the younger girls ran in, as Roger was making his way down the hall. "Roger! Roger, come quick! It's terrible! Corbin and Dennis–"

Linda ran over. "Clogged the toilet in the second story girl's bathroom!"

Roger just put a hand on his head, groaning. "_Again_? They're even worse than Mello and Matt sometimes… I'll bet they used all the toys in the playroom again…"

He went up the stairs, disgruntled, and Linda looked at the girls. When Roger was out of sight, she smiled. "Girls, it's about time for you to learn which boys are good and which boys are bad… Corbin and Dennis would be the bad ones, and even though Matt and Mello get in trouble all the time, they're the good ones…"

They stared at her, completely shocked. "Bu-But…"

Linda smiled. "I know Matt, girls. Matt would never do anything to harm another person if he didn't have a reason behind it. Corbin and Dennis started it. It's time for those two out there to finish it. Now go tell your friends to deny everything they saw if the twins bring it up to Roger. Do that for me, will you?"

One of the girls whispered. "That's exactly what the older boys told us…"

Another girl nodded. "M-Maybe L would allow this type of violence…"

Linda nodded. "Of course he would! If he didn't, he'd be out there breaking it up! Now go tell your friends to keep your mouths shut."

The girls hurried off back to the playground, and Linda turned back to the window, watching Mello tackle Dennis to the ground before he could get his hands around Matt's neck. She grinned. "I take it back, Matty-boy. Mello's just misunderstood…like you said."


End file.
